Top BJP brass held at Jantar Mantar during protest against Shinde

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including national president Rajnath Singh, were detained by Delhi Police at the Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday during the protest against Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde over his ''saffron terror'' remark.

Scores of BJP party workers and supporters have gathered at the Jantar Mantar here to vent their ire against the Home Minister.

Staging a strong protest over Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's "saffron terror" remarks, the BJP said the comments were part of a conspiracy to divide the nation for votebank politics and demanded an apology.

Stepping up the attack on Shinde ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament starting tomorrow, BJP President Rajnath Singh questioned the Home Minister's intentions in making such a provocative statement.

"This comment of the Home Minister is part of a conspiracy to divide the nation for votebank politics," Singh said, addressing a large number of protesting party workers at Parliament Street here today.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the Congress was indulging in "communal polarisation" through such remarks.

"The Congress and UPA votebank is contracting. Shinde wants to divide the nation on the basis of religion. They are trying to indulge in communal polarisation. The Home Minister made this statement with the intention of dividing the nation for votes and seek the votebank of a particular religion," Jaitley said, addressing the protesting partymen.

Jaitley questioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on how they have allowed such a Home Minister, who is giving Pakistan a reason to say that India is running terror camps, to function.

Singh also questioned the intentions of Shinde to make such provocative comment and appealed to the countrymen "to understand the conspiracy behind making such a statement."

He accused the Congress of doing votebank politics and warned the government "not to play with the sentiments of people for the sake of votes."

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