"Congress should apologise to country for comparing Bajrang Dal with PFI": VHP leader Surendra Jain

New Delhi [India], May 4 : Hitting out at the Congress over its promise to ban Bajrang Dal on the lines of the Popular Front of India (PFI) if voted to power in Karnataka, the international joint general secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (HP), Surendra Jain on Thursday asked the grand old party to tender an apology to the country.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Jain said, "The PFI is already banned. Who partnered with the PFI (in Kerala)? The Congress should apologise to the country for drawing a parallel between the Bajrang Dal and a banned outfit. Whatever it does now, the people of the country will not forgive the Congress and it would be held to account for all its sins."
"The Congress has promised to ban the Bajrang Dal, an outfit which has the Bajrangbali (Lord Hanuman) at its heart. They tried to defame the organisation by holding it on a par with the PFI. The people of Karnataka will give them a befitting reply," he added.
On the Congress issuing a clarification that there is no proposal to ban the Bajrang Dal, the VHP leader added that within two days, the Congress has realised that they cannot act against the outfit as they neither have the social standing nor the political standing to do so.
"The people of the country are not with Congress, as it is dividing the society and spreading violence. The people are with patriotic organisations, which are always at the forefront when it comes to protecting the society and keep it together. The organisations associated with the Bajrang Dal strive to take the country's youth forward with the ideal service, safety and culture at the core of their efforts," he said.
Jain added, "Earlier, the Congress would fight over Lord Ram. Now, it has decided to dig its own grave by picking a fight over Bajrangbali. It must be remembered that it is the only organisation in the world which has set a world record by being involved in most blood donations in a single day."
Facing a massive backlash and protest from pro-Hindu outfits over its poll promise to ban rightwing outfits, including the Bajrang Dal, Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Veerappa Moily said, "There is no proposal to ban the Bajrang Dal yet. The only mission is to stop hate politics."
The Congress on Tuesday released its manifesto for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, saying, "We believe that law and Constitution are sacrosanct and cannot 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 Congress stated further in its manifesto.