Thursday, March 24 2005 15:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Taking strong exception to its description of the denial of US visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a "national embarrassment", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Mar 24, 2005) said that it did not require a certificate from Congress "whose hands are blood stained".

"We are really surprised over the Congress reaction. We don't need any certificate from Congress whose hands are blood stained. The party was responsible for numerous riots in various parts of the country including the anti-Sikh genocide in Delhi and those in Bhagalpur and Hyderabad," former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu said.

Asserting that the issue of visa refusal to Modi was a "national issue and an assault on the sovereignty", he said, "the Government was duty bound to protect the Constitution and the rights and liberty of every citizen".

He said that the Prime Minister had done the "right thing" by taking up the issue with Washington "but unfortunately, the Congress is trying to politicise it".

"Before criticising us, they would do well to recall their past," the senior BJP leader said.

Describing the refusal of visa as a "national embarrassment," Congress spokesman Anand Sharma had yesterday (Mar 23, 2005) said BJP must consider why he had to face this situation.