While the world was holding Pakistan responsible for 26/11, then Congress party leaders and members of the party’s tight-knit ecosystem were floating conspiracy theories to fix RSS in the 26/11 terror attacks. Twelves years after the cowardly terror attack, it is not an unknown fact today that how Congress party had pushed theories blaming RSS and the imaginary ‘saffron terrorism’ for the Mumbai terror attacks.
Aziz Burney, known for his anti-Hindu rants, was one of the key figures who actively pushed Congress party’s conspiracies against the RSS. Burney, who was the Group Editor of Sahara Publications like Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, Bazm-e-Sahara, Aalami Sahara, had published a book titled, “26/11 RSS Ki Saazish?” (26/11, An RSS Conspiracy?) to pin the blame on RSS for the Mumbai Terror attacks that were carried by Pakistan-based Islamic terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
To give credence to the book written by the then editor-in-chief of Sahara Urdu newspaper, Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh had himself inaugurated the book, not once but twice, once in Delhi and then in Mumbai again.
During the book release, Singh had alleged that Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare had called him two hours before the 26/11 attack in Mumbai to say that his life was blighted by constant threats from those opposed to the ATS probe into the 2008 Malegaon blast in which ‘Hindu extremists’ were accused. Thus, Singh had exonerated Pakistan and had decided to push the blame of 26/11 attack on RSS and Hindu extremists.
The book was a collection of his hundreds of editorials and articles in his Urdu paper. Its English version was named, “26/11: Biggest attack in India’s history”, that supposedly offered an “alternative” view of the siege. Through his articles, Burney had given a clean chit to terror-state of Pakistan by claiming that it was not the ISI or LeT that was behind the attack, but the RSS with covert support from Mossad and the CIA.
Indian Army responsible for Hemant Karkare’s death: Aziz Burney
Shockingly, in one of his articles, the ‘secular’ Aziz Burney had even alleged that the Indian Army was responsible for 26/11 Mumbai Islamic terrorist attack in 2008.
In the early part of the year 2009, Burney had written an article claiming that the ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who lost his life in the Mumbai terror attack, was killed by the Indian Army. Burney had also alleged that RSS and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were involved in this terrorist attack on Mumbai.
“The higher authorities with criminal background from Mumbai police force killed Hemant Karkare with the help of Indian army. CIA, Mossad, Narendra Modi and RSS are responsible for 26/11 attack,” one of the articles written by Aziz Burney had reportedly stated.
In another piece, Burney had claimed that the constables from Mumbai police force had fired at CST railway station and some BJP volunteers who had already arrested Kasab brought him before CCTV camera.
In reality, it was Times Of India’s photojournalist Shriram Vernekar who had clicked the famous image of the armed Ajmal Kasab crossing the foot over bridge near CST. Vernekar was later awarded and had also testified in court during Kasab’s trial. One of the terrorists had also noticed the camera flash and had fired gunshots at the TOI building.
Burney’s close relationship with the Congress leadership
Reportedly, the Pakistan apologist Aziz Burney is known to be extremely close to the Congress leadership and enjoyed a close friendship with Dr Manmohan Singh during his tenure as the Prime Minister.
In 2007, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had even felicitated Aziz Burney and his Urdu publication Roznama Rashtriya Sahara for the excellence in journalism at an event to celebrate the 60 years of Indian regional language journalism.
Aziz Burney, who was considered as a shining symbol of secularism by the Congress party, was even part of an official Indian delegation led by Dr Manmohan Singh during his visit to France and Egypt in 2009. Reports say that Burney was trying to get a Rajya Sabha nomination under the UPA government. The presence of Congress veteran Digvijay Singh at his book launch, peddling the same lies as the book, tells how he was a Congress favourite.
Burney apologised to RSS for false propaganda, faces defamation suit
In August 2009, Aziz Burney was dragged into a Session’s Court in Mumbai for publishing anti-India articles in his Sahara Group Publications.
Aziz Burney, through his several concocted theories in his Urdu and Hindi newspapers, had accused RSS of being responsible for the 26/11 conspiracy despite being aware of the fact that Pakistan and its Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists had involvement in the terror attacks that was unleashed on the streets of Mumbai on November 26, 2008 that killed over 174 people and injured 300 others
A case was filed against Aziz Burney by Shri Vinay Joshi, a social worker from Mumbai for spreading false conspiracy theories against RSS.
A year later, Aziz Burney, who was expected to be nominated to Rajya Sabha by the then Congress party, had published a grovelling front-page apology for linking the RSS to Mumbai terror attacks. However, the RSS had rejected the apology tendered by Burney. While it was proven in court that Burney did not have a single shred of evidence to back his claims, he had even offered to change the name of his book.
