The Congress party on Saturday, 2 July, alleged that one of the main accused in the killing of a tailor named Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur is a "BJP member" and asked whether the Union government had moved quickly to transfer the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) due to this reason.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, party's spokesperson Pawan Khera referred to media reports on the Udaipur incident which had pointed to the Bharatiya Janata Party links with Riyaz Attari, also known as Riyaz Akhtari, who is an accused in the case.
At the presser, Khera cited pictures and posts linking Attari with BJP leaders Irshad Chainwala, Mohammad Tahir and former Rajasthan Minister Gulab Chand Kataria.
Khera alleged that through certain photos posted by BJP leader Irshad Chainwala on Facebook on 30 November 2018, and Mohammad Tahir on 3 February 2019, 27 October 2019, 10 August 2021, 28 November 2019, it was clear that Attari was not only "close to BJP leaders," but was also an active member of the BJP.
"The killer of Kanhaiya Lal, Riyaz Attari is a member of the BJP," he tweeted.
"It has also come to the fore in the same disclosure that the main accused Riyaz Attari often participated in the programmes of Rajasthan BJP leader and former minister Gulabchand Kataria. Not only this, pictures of the main accused Riyaz Attari attending the meetings of the BJP's Rajasthan minority unit are also in front of the world."Pawan Khera, Congress Spokesperson
Questioning the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress leader asked whether the BJP leaders were trying to create an atmosphere of religious frenzy in the country.
"Is the Bharatiya Janata Party, through its spokespersons and leaders, trying to take advantage by polarising the country?" he asked.
Khera said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had welcomed the transfer of this case to the NIA.
However, in light of "new facts," the question that arises is whether the BJP-led government at the Centre moved quickly to transfer the case to the NIA due to these reasons, he said.
Other Congress leaders also posted similar tweets drawing a connection between the accused and the BJP.
Not just Congress leaders, several other social media users including Yogendra Yadav, a political activist and leader of Swaraj Abhiyan, asked the Rajasthan police to verify whether the accused was indeed a BJP worker.
Earlier in the day, the BJP had vehemently denied having any connections with Riyaz Attari.
Responding to Congress' allegations, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya dismissed the claim as "fake news." "Congress should stop fooling around with terror and national security," he said.
"We have no links to either of the accused," Sadiq Khan, the chief of the BJP's minority wing in the state, said at a news conference.
Kanhaiya Lal, who was a tailor by profession, was killed on Tuesday, 28 June, by two men, who posted a chilling video of the crime online claiming responsibility for the murder.
The two accused, Riyaz Akhtari and Gaus Mohammad, have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Kanhaiya Lal had made a social media post in support of BJP's Nupur Sharma, who had recently elicited widespread condemnation for her remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
(With inputs from PTI and NDTV.)
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