New Delhi: On Tuesday, The Congress cited a 2010 interview of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode and gave a "clean chit" to the terrorist. The scornful attack by the Congress comes a day after the BJP handled on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to the Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief as "Masood Azhar ji". The opposition party had hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting Gandhi's comments made sarcastically.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers here, Gandhi had attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar  ji  and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar." He asserted that it was Azhar who was responsible for the killing of 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14.

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Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted "Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), 'Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision',".He said in a series of tweets using the hashtag 'BJP Loves Terrorists'"Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now,".

Surjewala also attached a link of Doval's 2010 interview with the tweets. He said "Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval's 'clean chit certificate' to terrorist, Masood Azhar revealed,".Doval saluted the real "nationalistic policy of Congress-UPA to tacke terror, the Congress spokesperson claimed. He quoted Doval as saying "UPA-Cong came with a categorical policy on hijacking. No concession, no talks,"Why did the BJP government not show the same guts, Surjewala said.

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The group was responsible for the attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 in which nine security personnel and officials were killed. On January 2, 2016, a heavily armed group of JeM attacked the Pathankot air base in which seven security personnel were killed. JeM also carried out the attack on Uri brigade headquarters on September 18, 2016, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 30 others. And the latest is the Pulwama attack.