‘Obnoxious statement’: Sibal slams Hosabale for referring to attacks by Pakistan as ‘pinpricks’
Says, ‘If I had said this, I would have been called anti-national or pro-Pakistan; if Hosabale says it then it is right’
Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal on Friday attacked the RSS-BJP over Sangh functionary Dattatreya Hosabale's recent remarks on Pakistan, saying it was an "obnoxious statement" as it referred to terror attacks by Pakistan such as in Pahalgam and Mumbai as mere "pinpricks".
Sibal said now that Hosabale has advocated for dialogue with Pakistan, he will not be called anti-national for voicing similar views.
"If I had said this, I would have been called anti-national or pro-Pakistan. If Hosabale says it then it is right," the former Union minister told a press conference.
"What is most obnoxious about this statement is that he calls the attack on Parliament, the 26/11 attack, the Pahlagam attack, as pinpricks. Our sovereignty is attacked and according to the RSS, it is only a pinprick," Sibal said.
"The government functions on his (Hosabale) directives. Pakistan has said it is a positive development. So, Hosabale is being equated with India. Who is Hosabale? What kind of politics is this," the Independent MP asked.
There would be something behind this, Sibal added.
"We can also say that there should be a dialogue with Pakistan, I support it," he said.
On Hosabale backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for spending wisely to meet the challenges posed by the West Asia conflict, Sibal said such steps should be first taken by the government and the RSS themselves.
On Hosabale's comments about Sanatan Dharma, Sibal said the RSS should practise what they preach.
"They don't know the meaning of Sanatan Dharma and they talk of Sanatan Dharma," he said.
Sibal also lashed out at the government over the country's economic situation and the hike in petrol and diesel prices, asking if these are the 'achche din' the prime minister had promised.
