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Watch: Akhilesh’s cryptic response to Amit Shah’s ‘Hindu Terrorist’ speech

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in the Rajya Sabha about ‘Hindu Terrorists’, a day before the 2008 Malegaon blast verdict, has opened a Pandora’s box

Friday August 1, 2025 7:09 PM, ummid.com with inputs from Agencies

New Delhi/Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in the Rajya Sabha about ‘Hindu Terrorists’, a day before the 2008 Malegaon blast verdict, has opened a Pandora’s box.

While political leaders and critics are listing the names of different terrorist groups and individuals from Nathuram Godse and LTTE to Naxalites and the killers of Indira Gandhi to refute Amit Shah, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav’s cryptic response is most telling.

“Hindu can never be a terrorist”

Defending the government during a debate on “Operation Sindoor”, Amit Shah said, “I am proud to say, no Hindu can ever be a terrorist.”

“They (the erstwhile UPA government led by Congress) tried to give terrorism a religious colour for the sake of votes – but people of India rejected the falsehood,” Shah said, ostensibly a day before the NIA Special Court’s verdict into the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Seven Hindus, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and a serving Army Officer Lt Col Prohit, were charged in the case. The court acquitted them all due to lack of evidence and giving them benefit of doubt.

Outside the Parliament Thursday, when reporters asked Akhilesh Yadav for his response on Amit Shah’s speech in the Rajya Sabha a day before the Malegaon blast judgment, he said:

“Jo baat aap samajh rahe ho wahi main samajh raha hoon… Jo aap kehna nahi chahte woh main bhi nahi keh raha”, he said.

Loosely translated in English it means, “You and I are on the same page on this… (But) I will also not say what you don't want to say…”

Watch Video

#WATCH | Delhi: "Jo baat aap samajh rahe ho wahi main samajh raha hoon. Jo aap kehna nahi chahte woh main nahi keh raha. Kahi aisa toh nahi ki khabre dabaane ke liye khabre aa rahi ho?..." says Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav on Union HM Amit Shah's "A Hindu cannot be a… pic.twitter.com/GYXoicCq7s

— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2025

“Not Innocents”

Commenting on the NIA Court’s judgment, Senior Congress leader and Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan refuted the claim that the accused have been declared innocents.

“The court said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) didn't produce concrete evidence. It doesn't mean that they are innocent. It means that the NIA, which is under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, didn't produce concrete evidence”, Chavan said while talking to news agency ANI.

“The court said that it can't award a punishment without concrete evidence. Who was responsible for producing concrete evidence? The NIA. Who does NIA work under? Amit Shah. So, no other verdict was expected...", he said.

"Congress Conspiracy"

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday alleged that the Congress had tried to paint Hindus as terrorists after the 2008 Malegaon blast, and officer-bearers of the RSS and Hindutvadis were targeted in a planned manner.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Nagpur, Fadnavis claimed the then UPA government indulged in vote bank politics and coined the terms like “Hindu Terror” and “Bhagwa Aatankwad” (Saffron Terrorism) when terror attacks were taking place in different parts of the world.

Interestingly, while condemning the linking of terrorism with Hindu religion, Fadnavis freely used the terms like “Islamic Terrorism” that he said “was there” and “is still there”.

Fadnavis, however, is maintaining a guarded silence on whether his government will challenge the court’s order as it did in the case of the 2006 Mumbai train blast verdict. He also termed the case against the Hindu accused “fabricated” and “hollow”.

“The court, based on the evidence, has revealed how hollow and fabricated this case was, how the conspiracy was orchestrated and all the details have now come to light", he said and asked the Congress to apologize.

“Duty of the govt to file appeal”

Meanwhile, chorus that the NIA Court verdict must be challenged in higher courts has become louder.

Saying that the government cannot have two sets of rule on the cases related to terrorism, former MP and NCP leader, Advocate Majid Memon, said the Chief Minister cannot give clean chit to the accused.

“How can he say this? He must say that as the crime against the accused has not been proved, his government will challenge the verdict. This was his statement when Muslim accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blast were acquitted. As a Chief Minister, he should look at both the cases from the same perspective”, Memon said.

Earlier, former Congress MLA Asif Shaikh and others in Malegaon too had appealed the government to challenge the verdict.

On the other hand, Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, which provided legal aid to some of the victims, has announced to challenge the Special NIA Court verdict in the Bombay High Court.

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