New Delhi: BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) on November 28 questioned the propriety of Congress president Sonia Gandhi deciding to deliver a lecture at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies on November 30, saying the centre was alleged to be linked with Osama bin Laden.

"We do hope that the Congress Party and its president had acquainted themselves with these facts before accepting the invitation. We believe that it is for the Congress and its president to ultimately decide whether they should associate with the Centre or not," party spokesman Arun Jaitley told reporters in New Delhi.

Quoting reports in the international media, he said in October 2001, Prince of Wales, Charles had hosted a dinner in support of the Centre for Bakr bin Laden, brother of Osama bin Laden.

He said the British media had said, "the dinner was to support the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies where bin Laden's family funds a fellowship programme and was organised before the atrocity (September 11 attack), to discuss educating people about Islam.

The British media went further to say that "Osama bin Laden's brother attended the dinner hosted by Prince Charles two weeks after September 11 attack."

Jaitley said that considering all these issues which have been raised in the international media in the past with regard to the centre, "we do hope that the Congress and its president had acquainted themselves with these facts before accepting the invitation."

PTI