28 Jan, 2011, 05.39PM IST,IANS

Advani's Rath Yatra root of terrorism in India: Digvijay

NEW DELHI: A day after he held Hindu Mahasabha founder Veer Savarkar responsible for the two-nation theory, Congress leader Digvijay Singh blamed Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP )) leader L.K.Advani's 'Rath Yatra' for the genesis of terrorism in parts of India.

"L.K Advani's Rath Yatra has given birth to terrorism in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and the whole of the region," Singh said, addressing a 'National Meet on Tracing Sangh Terror Trail and Stories of Innocent Muslim Boys' organised by civil society group Anhad.

"The Rath Yatra by Advani is base of terrorism in India. Earlier, Pakistan used to say that the Indian government doesn't trust the Indian Muslims, but after the Rath Yatra, the blame became a reality because several Muslim youth were harassed, tortured and detained illegally," he said.

Singh also suggested coining the term 'Sanghi terror' for these right-wing extremists.

"We have to avoid saying Hindu terror but we should say Sanghi terror," he said.

"They will make temple where there is a dispute, they will hoist the flag where there is a dispute. Did they hoist a flag on the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) headquarters?" he said.

The Congress leader has been in limelight for his controversial comments on Hindu terrorism. Singh recently created stir with his claims that Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who was slain during the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist strike, had received threats from Hindu extremist outfits.

Singh, however, said that banning the RSS is not a solution.

"Ban on the RSS is no solution at all. There are more than hundred outfits of the Sangh Parivar. If you ban one, several others will continue to exist. We have to face them ideologically," he said.