Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) BJP MLA Ram Kadam on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, alleging that the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case was a politically motivated conspiracy aimed at defaming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Hindu community at large.

Ram Kadam said, “The Congress fabricated this case to target a few individuals from the RSS and malign the image of the entire Hindu community. The nation has been waiting 17 years for justice, and today, we expect the truth to emerge.”

Kadam further alleged that during the time of the incident, when Congress was in power, efforts were made to label the Hindu religious identity as terror-linked.

“They coined the term ‘saffron terror’. For us, saffron is sacred. They tried to associate it with violence and terrorism. Congress did not even spare our sadhus, priests, and brave army officers. A Sadhvi, a Major who served the nation – they were all dragged into this conspiracy,” he said.

He added, “This is not just our opinion. Even some officers involved in the investigation have gone on record stating that they were under pressure from the Congress government. This case was a conspiracy by Congress to defame a few RSS people, and the entire Hindus community. We are eagerly waiting for judgment.”

Kadam’s assertion came just hours before a Special NIA Court is set to pronounce its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on Thursday, after nearly two decades of legal proceedings.

The judgement, initially reserved on April 19, follows the completion of arguments from both the prosecution and defence.

Given the complexity of the case, involving over one lakh pages of evidence, the court had required additional time to review the material.

All seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, have been directed to appear in court in person. Failure to appear will result in legal action.

The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and just before Navratri. The explosion killed six people and injured over 100.

The prosecution examined 323 witnesses during the trial. Of these, 34 turned hostile, a fact that could play a key role in the final judgment. All accused are currently out on bail.

–IANS

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