Congress' Toolkit Working to Turn India Into Bangladesh: Giriraj Singh

New Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a sharp attack on the Congress , accusing the grand old party of orchestrating a conspiracy against India and claimed that their agenda is aimed at "turning India into Bangladesh ". The minister also linked the recent attack on Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Surat to the alleged conspiracy, saying this attack on Ganesh Puja is part of Congress's toolkit.

What Happened in Surat?

An idol of Lord Ganesh was damaged after some persons allegedly threw stones at a pandal during the ongoing Ganpati festival in Gujarat ’s Surat city, police said on Monday. After some minors were detained in connection with the incident which took place in Saiyedpura locality late Sunday night, a mob of around 300 persons gathered at Lalgate police station to protest the action against their community members.

Two groups there pelted stones at each other in which some cops were injured and a police vehicle was damaged, Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut told reporters.

Police resorted to baton charge and fired teargas shells to disperse the mob, he said. So far, 32 persons have been detained and two separate FIRs registered in connection with these incidents.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh was also asked about the Prayagraj bounf Kalindi Express which narrowly avoided a catastrophic accident after hitting a gas cylinder placed on the railway tracks in UP.

"Earlier as well, when attempts were made to carry out the Sabarmati train incident, I had said that it was not the fault of the railways but a conspiracy, an experiment to spread fear among Indian travelers. This Kalindi Express incident was a direct attempt at creating another Godhra-like situation. The presence of gas cylinders, explosives, matches, and petrol all point to this being another Godhra incident..."  

Attempt to Derail Kalindi Express

An attempt was made to derail the Kalindi Express, heading towards Bhiwani from Prayagraj, by placing an LPG cylinder on the tracks in the Shivrajpur area in Kanpur. The train hit the cylinder before coming to a screeching halt on Sunday morning. Due to being hit by the train, the cylinder was thrown away from the tracks, officials said.

Soon after receiving information about the incident around 8.20 am on Sunday, senior officials rushed to the site and launched an investigation into the matter. The forensics team was also called in and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is also investigating the matter. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chandra said the loco pilot saw that the LPG cylinder was placed on the tracks and applied the emergency brakes.

The train hit the cylinder before coming to a halt and as a result, the cylinder moved away from the tracks. The loco pilot informed the guard and the gateman about the incident, he said. The train was stationed at the incident site for about 20 minutes and was again stopped at the Bilhaur station for investigation, the ACP said.

The damaged cylinder has been recovered. A bottle of petrol and matchboxes were also recovered from the spot, Chandra added. He said efforts were being made to identify the culprits and they will be dealt with sternly.