Maoists Warn of More Attacks; Christians Watchout!

Maoists Warn Saffron Outfit of More Attacks

Christians Watchout!

Claiming responsibility for the killing of VHP leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati in Orissa for which the Christian community in Orissa paid a heavy price, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Monday warned the saffron oufit of "more such punishments if it continued violence against religious minorities in the country". PTI reports:

The CPI (Maoist) has decided to punish "anti-people, fanatical leaders like Saraswati" in the wake of "endless persecution" of religious minorities in the country, a party release said here.

The statement alleged that Saraswati was a "rabid anti-Christian ideologue and persecutor of innocent Christians and was responsible for the burning down of over 400 churches in Khandamal district alone".

It warned the saffron outfit of "more such punishments if it continued violence against religious minorities in the country".

"The Sangh Parivar leaders like Pravin Togadia have been trying to divert people's attention by uttering lies that it is not Maoists but Christian organisations that had carried out the attack on the VHP leader," the CPI (Maoist) said.

Appealing to secular and democratic forces to condemn the Sangh Parivar, it said "it is not SIMI that is to be outlawed but Hindu fanatical groups like VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, BJP, Hindu Munnani and so on."

Slamming the Congress leadership, the release said it was strange that it did not see any threat from "overtly communal, criminal acts of the VHP and the Sangh Parivar".