New Delhi, July 31, 2025 — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on the Congress party following the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, alleging that the Congress had orchestrated a “Hindu terror” narrative for political gain. Senior BJP leaders demanded a public apology from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of maligning Hindu identity and defaming decorated individuals.
A special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, citing lack of reliable and cogent evidence. The verdict, delivered nearly 17 years after the blast that killed six and injured over 100, was hailed by BJP leaders as a vindication of those falsely implicated.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad described the case as a “well-calculated conspiracy” by the Congress-led UPA government to suppress the rise of Narendra Modi and appease its Muslim vote bank. He demanded compensation for the accused, alleging they were subjected to torture and wrongful imprisonment.
Prasad also cited past remarks attributed to Rahul Gandhi, including a 2010 conversation with a U.S. ambassador (as revealed by Wikileaks), where Gandhi allegedly claimed that extremist Hindu groups could be more dangerous than Lashkar-e-Taiba. BJP leaders argued that such statements contributed to a fabricated narrative of “saffron terror.”
Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s IT cell, called the verdict a “moral indictment” of Congress and stated that the party’s attempt to brand Hindus as terrorists had “collapsed and been buried for good”. He demanded an unconditional apology for what he termed a malicious campaign against Sanatan Dharma.
Other BJP leaders, including Basavaraj Bommai and Brij Lal, echoed the sentiment, accusing Congress of balancing religious narratives for electoral purposes and undermining national security by allegedly shielding Islamic terror groups.
The Congress party has yet to issue an official response. Rahul Gandhi, when questioned, dismissed the matter as a distraction from broader national issues such as economic and foreign policy failures.
The Malegaon verdict has reignited political tensions, with BJP positioning the acquittals as a turning point in the discourse around terrorism and religious identity in India.
