The meeting of freelance journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik, said to be a close aide of Baba Ramdev, with Jama'at-ud-Da'wah chief Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan has triggered a controversy.
The Congress on Monday raised the issue in both the Houses of Parliament and demanded an explanation from the Prime Minister.
The Congress said the journalist is involved with Vivekandanda International Foundation, a right wing think-tank, and the meeting could not have happened without the Central Government’s knowledge.
It said the issue is very serious, involving national security, and the Prime Minister’s Office is directly involved in it.
Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed pointed out that three members in the Modi Government — Nripendra Misra (Principal Secretary), PK Mishra (Additional Principal Secretary) and Ajit Doval (National Security Advisor) — are also members of Vivekananda International Foundation. “Now the fourth person who also worked in the Foundation, Vaidik, whom we knew more as a columnist rather than a regular journalist, has met the most wanted terrorist in India, who is an accused in Mumbai terror strikes. A serious question arises.
Sanction to meet
“Did he go to meet Hafiz Saeed at the instruction of the Prime Minister? The Prime Minister and the Government must come clean on it,” Ahmed demanded.
Earlier, the party said in both the Houses that the Centre should tell the House who asked Vaidik to meet Saeed.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India considers Saeed a terrorist and the Government, directly or indirectly, has nothing to do with with any journalist meeting him.