Sunday, September 18 2005 13:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Terming as serious, the allegations against Congress leaders contained in a book by a former Soviet Archivist, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtruya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) today (Sept 18, 2005) said the country was not safe in the hands of the ruling party and sought an explanation from it on the issue.

"It is a very serious issue. The Congress and the Communists have been accused of taking money from the KGB. Both, particularly the Congress, which is at the helm of affairs owe an explanation to the country," BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

RSS spokesman Ram Madhav claimed that while the allegations contained in the second volume of 'The Mitrokin Archive' related to the 1970s, another book 'The State Within the State - KGB and Its Hold on Russia' referred to such intense ties between KGB and Congress leaders in the 1980s.

He alleged that the book published in 1994 contained serious allegations against the Gandhi family.

"The country cannot be safe in their hands. We need to give a serious thought to the implications for the country over the links the Congress and the Gandhi family had with the Soviets," Madhav said.