Hazratbal emblem row: BJP targets Rahul Gandhi after Congress MP’s ‘what’s done is done’ remark | India News

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday tore into the Congress after its Jammu & Kashmir leader Tariq Anwar made a callous remark on the defacement of the National Emblem by extremists in the Valley.Dismissing the need for any action against those who thrashed the National Emblem, inscribed on a plaque, Anwar said: “What’s done is done”.BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari lashed out at Anwar over his remark, saying the Congress party has “reduced itself to a fringe party that openly backs anti-national acts”.Bhandari claimed Anwar made the remark on the instructions of Rahul Gandhi, who he said was a “true leader of the Tukde-Tukde gang”.“On Rahul Gandhi’s instructions, Congress MP Tariq Anwar shamelessly justifies the defacing of the Ashok Stambh in Jammu & Kashmir by extremists! Rahul Gandhi is the true leader of the Tukde-Tukde gang. Congress has reduced itself to a fringe party that openly backs anti-national acts,” Bhandari posted on X.Anwar, however, acknowledged that what happened was wrong, but borrowed J&K CM Omar Abdullah‘s remark to say “a religious place doesn’t have the Ashok Chakra”.“We won’t demand action; our stand is that what happened was wrong, and Omar Abdullah cleared that no religious place has the Ashok Chakra (National Emblem),” Anwar said to an English news channel.On being asked if action should be taken against those who defaced [the national emblem], Anwar said: “There’s no need. What’s done is done”.Tanvir Sadiq, an MLA from Omar Abdullah’s party, said that they “fully respect the Ashok Chakra, but it has been misused by VC”. “Yes, it (J&K Waqf Board) should be dismissed because if someone wants to destroy the social fabric of Jammu and Kashmir and hurt religious sentiments, they have no right to sit on this seat. We want the police to take action against this. We fully respect the Ashok Chakra, but it has been misused by VC. We are also demanding a house committee,” the National Conference (NC) MLA told news agency ANI.Sadiq said the response (by extremists) was very spontaneous and that the NC did not want violence. “Within 1-2 days, we will notify the speaker and disclose the details… The national conference never wanted violence, but because religious sentiments were hurt, the response was very spontaneous,” he said.Nearly 50 people have been detained for questioning over the defacing of a plaque bearing the national emblem inside the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, while the NC put the figure at 30 and BJP’s Altaf Thakur said 26. J&K police have not confirmed any numbers since the vandalism on Friday afternoon.NC president Farooq Abdullah called the installation of the Ashoka emblem a mistake. “There was no need to install the plaque. They put it up, and people did not like it. When the Hazratbal shrine was constructed, no board was placed there because it was dedicated to Allah and His Prophet,” he said. “We are peace-loving people, and this shouldn’t have been done.” CM Omar Abdullah said the Waqf Board should apologise, contending that the national emblem is for government offices, not mosques.