Mumbai, Jan 06, 2020: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s comparison of the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University to that of the 26/11 attacks left the victims aghast.
While reacting to the JNU incident, Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said, "Whatever happened yesterday was something that we are seeing for the first time since 26/11. Everyone should get to know who were behind those veiled faces. There is a need to take the youth of today into confidence. The youth today is losing confidence."
He added, "Why did those attackers wear burka over their face? They are cowards. When I saw it on television I remembered 26/11."
Uddhav assured the people of Maharashtra by stating that nothing like this would happen in universities of Maharashtra. He added, "Something like this would not have been condoned in Maharashtra."
However, 26/11 attack victims were shocked at this comparison drawn by Maharashtra politicians. Devika Rotavan, now a student at Siddharth College had suffered severe bullet injuries at CSMT in 2008.
She said, "The two incidents cannot be compared. Those were suicide attackers who came from outside the country. They did not just kill civilians but policemen and an NSG commando. At least 166 people were killed in that incident. They did not cover their faces. Here these are our own people who have attacked. This cannot be called a terror act as lethal as 26/11."
The victims of 26/11 feel that comparing this politically motivated incident with terrorism against the country trivialises the attack.
"Eleven years have passed, I am still suffering. It sends shivers down my spine when I remember that incident. It is wrong to compare this incident to the 26/11 terror attack. The terrorists came from outside and waged a war against our country. The incident in JNU cannot be compared to 26/11 at all," says Baby Chowdhary whose husband had been bed-ridden since he was hit in the Vile Parle taxi blast.
Congress leader Ashok Chavan said, "What happened on 26/11 was terrorism, what happened in JNU was an attempt to terrorise. Mumbai attack terrorists came from outside and the ones yesterday are staying here and terrorising."
NCP minister Jitendra Awhad said, "It is just not a terrorist attack. It is Modi-Shah sponsored terrorism."
Courtesy:India Today