The VHP demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi over remarks it claimed had hurt Hindu sentiments. The statement coincided with the release of her memoir and revived debate over alleged appeasement politics.The VHP demanded that Gandhi and other Congress leaders apologise for their statements, claiming that they had hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday demanded an apology from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, accusing her of hurting Hindu sentiments and engaging in appeasement politics. The demand came on the day of the release of her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love.VHP central joint general secretary Surendra Jain accused Gandhi of expressing selective concern over incidents involving Muslims while remaining silent on violence against Hindus and the sacrifices of security personnel.In a statement, Jain claimed that Gandhi was attempting to attract Muslim voters by expressing grief over certain incidents, describing her reactions as “crocodile tears” and “election-time tears”.He referred to Gandhi's reported expression of anguish over the demolition of the Babri structure and compared it with her response to the 2008 Batla House encounter in Delhi. “Tears flowed from Sonia Gandhi's eyes over the demolition of the Babri structure, a symbol of the brutality of the foreign invader, Babur.

She said the same thing when terrorists who had shaken Delhi with blasts were hiding in Batla House, and India's brave security personnel sent those terrorists to hell in an encounter,” Jain said.He also referred to Inspector Mohan Sharma, who was seriously injured during the encounter and later died, questioning why Gandhi had not expressed similar grief over the officer's sacrifice.VHP QUESTIONS SONIA GANDHI'S RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE AGAINST HINDUS Jain further accused Gandhi of remaining silent over the killings of Hindus in Kashmir and the demolition of temples in the Valley.“Was she shedding tears when more than 350 temples were demolished in the Kashmir Valley? Did her eyes well up when Hindus were massacred in the Kashmir Valley, and a mother was forced to eat rice soaked in her son's blood?” he asked.The VHP leader also questioned whether Gandhi had expressed grief over the deaths of saints during the anti-cow slaughter agitation in Delhi and the killing of unarmed kar sevaks.He cited the killing of Congress leaders by Naxalites in Bastar and the killing of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, asking whether Gandhi had publicly expressed similar concern over these incidents.Jain also raised the issue of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, Pakistan, West Bengal and Kerala.

He accused Gandhi's husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, of being responsible for atrocities against Sikhs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.VHP TARGETS CONGRESS OVER DIWALI POLLUTION REMARKThe VHP leader also criticised the Congress over a reported statement by party leader Rashid Alvi, who had reportedly said that Diwali causes pollution while Eid does not lead to a rise in the Air Quality Index (AQI).Jain described the remark as an attempt to appease Muslim voters by insulting Hindu sentiments.“Now, during the election season, there is a flood of such statements which leave no stone unturned in insulting Hindus to appease Muslims. A leader from her own party says that Diwali causes pollution, but the AQI level does not rise during Eid.

Is she not ashamed of this outrageous statement?” he said.He accused parties that describe themselves as secular of attempting to consolidate Muslim votes by making statements that hurt the Hindu community.“The Hindu community will teach this secular mafia a lesson so that no one attempts to insult Hindu society and India or hurt its soul, and no one stands with terrorists and endangers the country's security,” Jain said.VHP SEEKS APOLOGY FROM SONIA GANDHI AND CONGRESS LEADERSConcluding his statement, Jain condemned what he described as remarks by Gandhi and her associates that insulted Hindus and the sacrifices of security personnel.The VHP demanded that Gandhi and other Congress leaders apologise for their statements, claiming that they had hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.“We strongly condemn those statements of Sonia Gandhi and all her associates which insult Hindus and the sacrifices of soldiers in an attempt to appease Muslims. The Hindu community is hurt by these statements and demands that she and her associates apologise,” Jain said.The statement was issued as Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, was released, bringing renewed attention to the Congress leader's political and personal journey.- EndsWith PTI inputs