Bajrang Dal after Congress vows to ban outfit in poll manifesto

Bajrang Dal national convener Neeraj Doneriya on Wednesday hit out at the Congress over its promise to ban the outfit in its Karnataka poll manifesto.

Bajrang Dal national convener Neeraj Doneriya on Wednesday hit out at the Congress over its promise to ban the outfit in its Karnataka poll manifesto. Calling it “shameful”, Doneriya alleged that the Congress has “always divided society in the name of religion”.

“Congress issued the party manifesto for the Karnataka election and has connected Bajrang Dal with the PFI in it. This is very shameful that they are comparing a dal that is working for the development and benefit of society with a group that has promoted several terrorist acts,” Doneriya told news agency ANI.

Adding that the Congress is “trying to get Muslim votes by banning us”, the outfit’s national convener said, “Bajrang Dal will protest against this shameful thing of Congress.”

Earlier in the day, several Bajrang Dal workers staged a protest near the Congress office in Karnataka. In Hyderabad, some workers have also been detained.

Notably, the Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the RSS-affiliated Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).

As a part of its manifesto released on Tuesday, the Congress proposed a ban on organisations that “promote enmity or hatred” such as the Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and Bajrang Dal. “We believe that law and Constitution is sacrosanct and can not be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI, or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on any such organisations,” the party said.

Meanwhile, the VHP also hit out at the Congress calling the move “highly objectionable”. “Sonia Gandhi cannot cheat the people of the country. The way Congress has wrongly tried to defame Bajrang Dal, the country’s people will not accept it and Bajrang Dal workers are taking it as a challenge. We will answer that too and will not let your plans succeed,” VHP International Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain said.