File Photo: Congress Party Spokesperson Shobha Oza
The controversy over journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik's meeting with 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed refuses to subside with the Congress on Wednesday dubbing Mr Vaidik as an "RSS volunteer beyond any doubt" and seeking to know the "hidden agenda" behind the meet.
"Mr Vaidik is an RSS volunteer beyond any doubt... His entire family at Indore in Madhya Pradesh is known to be an RSS family. His father was among the prominent workers of the erstwhile Jan Sangh in Madhya Bharat," Congress party spokesperson Shobha Oza told reporters.
Ms Oza, who herself hails from Madhya Pradesh, said, "Mr Vaidik is an RSS volunteer beyond any doubt and to deny it is a white lie."
Intrigued about the person who was instrumental in ensuring Mr Vaidik's meeting with Hafiz Saeed, she said that even Pakistani journalists can't meet the terror mastermind who carries a reward of USD 10 million.
She said that the call records of Mr Vaidik needed to be thoroughly probed and a detailed investigation was needed regarding who he had met before and after the Pakistan visit.
Facing an all-round attack, the government has already disapproved of, and condemned the meeting and said it has sought a report from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad about whether it was aware of this.
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who was part of the delegation which went to Pakistan along with Mr Vaidik, said "After the meeting on June 15, three people stayed back including Mr Vaidik."
Asked about his Pakistan visa, Mr Aiyar said, "I have a SAARC visa which is for one year."
About other MP's who went on the Pakistan trip, he said, "Apart from me, no other MPs were there."