Will Sonia, Mamata apologise over remarks on Batla House encounter?: Ravi Shankar Prasad

New Delhi: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday launched a tirade against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the All India Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee over their past assertions on the Batla House encounter, and questioned will the leaders tender an apology.

His remarks comes a day after a Delhi court convicted Ariz Khan, who was arrested in Feb 2018 in connection with the 2008 Batla House encounter case.Ariz was convicted on the basis of 100 witnesses and electronic evidence, he said.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Prasad said,"There was a conscious, deliberate and consistent attempt to cast serious doubt on the authenticity of the Batla House encounter to weaken the morale of Delhi Police and give clear support to terrorist and their design. Why? For pure vote bank politics."

Earlier, Congress leader Salman Khurshid had said that Ms Gandhi was in tears looking at the pictures of the encounter, Mr Prasad noted.

Mr Prasad also noted that Ms Banerjee had described the encounter as "fake" and had sought a judicial probe, claiming that she will quit politics if proven wrong.The Samajwadi Party, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Left had echoed similar views, he said.

The Law Minister alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties had stood on the side of terrorists on the issue of national security.

The Minister asked why is the Congress, Mamata Didi and all those who questioned the Batla House encounter silent now after the court's verdict in this case.

'Yesterday's conviction in the Batla house encounter of Indian Mujahideen Ariz is triumph of Indian judicial process, a validation of the courage shown by the Delhi police officials in catering terrorism and closure to rampant vote bank politics which happened in the last 12 years,' the Minister added.

Taking to twitter, Mr Prasad tweeted, 'People who ask questions as to what is the difference our Govt has been able to make under the leadership of PM @narendramodi, the answer is that terrorism any day is something to be condemn about and the nation needs to speak in one voice.'

While terror attacks, including in Mumbai and several other cities, occurred during the UPA rule, the BJP government has given a free hand to security forces to undertake preemptive measures and also launch surgical strikes like the one in Balakot when terrorists hit India's interests, he said.

The Batla House encounter took place on September 19, 2008, against Indian Mujahideen terrorists in the Batla House locality in Delhi's Jamia Nagar.(UNI)