Delhi Red Fort Car Blast: Political Controversy Erupts Over Kashmir Connection

On November 10, a blast ripped through a car which stopped at a red signal near the Red Fort.

New Delhi:

A Congress leader has now linked the Red Fort car blast in Delhi to Kashmir after Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti triggered a political firestorm with her remarks. Congress leader Husain Dalwai suggested the explosion that resulted in 15 fatalities and over 20 injuries might be a consequence of the "injustice" occurring in Jammu and Kashmir.

Making another implication, he questioned the timing of bomb blasts during election periods. On November 10, an explosion devastated a car stopped at a traffic light on a crowded road near the Red Fort, just one day before the Bihar assembly election results were announced.

"Why do bomb attacks coincide with elections? This warrants investigation. This could potentially be a reaction to the injustice in Jammu and Kashmir," Dalwai stated.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari criticized Dalwai's comments, describing them as "pure vote bank politics."

"These allegations are as baseless as when Congress was in power and claimed Pakistan wasn't involved in the Mumbai terror attack. They attributed it to an RSS conspiracy. This exemplifies the Congress party's approach. They consistently make such baseless and strange remarks. They do so believing it will appeal to their voter base," he remarked.

He also referenced senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's "home-grown terrorists" comment, adding, "Even P Chidambaram, former Home Minister of the country, has suggested there could be involvement of home-grown terrorists in this incident."

Last week, in a social media post on X, Chidambaram raised questions about what circumstances "transform Indian citizens - even educated individuals - into terrorists."

"I have consistently maintained before and after the Pahalgam terror attack that terrorists fall into two categories -- foreign-trained infiltrated terrorists and home-grown terrorists. I expressed this view in Parliament during the Operation Sindoor debate. I faced mockery and trolling for mentioning home-grown terrorists," his post stated.

"However, I must note that the government remained notably silent because they're aware that home-grown terrorists exist. The purpose of this tweet is to encourage self-reflection on what conditions cause Indian citizens -- including educated ones -- to become terrorists," he continued.

On Sunday, Mufti criticized the Central government regarding security measures implemented after the blast. "You informed the world that everything is normal in Kashmir, yet Kashmir's troubles manifested right in front of the Red Fort," she declared, igniting significant political controversy.

Dalwai also suggested that the government should investigate "the role of the RSS."

"Considering how the RSS operates, I want to ask whether the government will examine the RSS's involvement," stated Congress leader Husain Dalwai.

In response to the Congress leader's assertion, Sangit Ragi - author of 'RSS & Gandhi, The Idea Of India' - commented, "This is a malicious allegation, and it's absurd. This claim lacks any foundation. While RSS has been active in the Kashmir valley, it has no connection to divisive politics there. It is solely engaged in social welfare initiatives."