By IANS
New Delhi: The Congress was put in a piquant position Thursday when it announced that it would get support of the Ittihad-e-Millat Council president – the same person who had announced a reward to behead former US president George W. Bush for the Iraq invasion.
Ittihad-e-Millat Council chief Tauqeer Raza Khan and Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh addressed a joint news conference here to announce their alliance for the Lok Sabha elections.
When journalists referred to Khan’s statements on Bush, Digvijay Singh said quickly: “They have extended support to us. We are not supporting any of their candidates.”
“We don’t subscribe to any of the views attributed to him (Khan). But Khan has many followers all over the country. Therefore we have accepted their support,” Digvijay Singh said.
“Some statements might have been made in an emotionally surcharged environment,” said Digvijay Singh, who is also in charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh.
“Under any condition, we don’t subscribe to any ideology that promotes violence. Fanatic religious fundamentalism is something we have always opposed.”
In his defence, Khan said: “I had given the statement when Bush was (US) president. Now Bush is no more in his post so that statement has no validity
now.”