Jharkhand: Cong MLA praises Taliban

They (Taliban) should be lauded, as they chased the Americans out... IRFAN ANSARI, Cong MLA

RANCHI: Congress legislator in Jharkhand Irfan Ansari, who is a former working president of the party’s state unit, on Friday praised Taliban for “having done a good job in forcing the USA to leave Afghanistan”, prompting an immediate backlash from the Opposition.

Speaking to media persons at the Jharkhand assembly after the first day of the Monsoon session, Ansari said, “They (Taliban) should be lauded, as they chased the Americans out of Afghanistan. We all know the kind of excesses American forces used to commit in Afghanistan,” said Ansari, a two-term Congress MLA from Jamtara.

Told that he was supporting a front widely viewed as a terrorist organisation and is yet to get global recognition, Ansari said, “Yes, they are a terrorist organisation, but they have been revolutionary in forcing American occupational forces to leave that country.”

The BJP immediately hit back at Ansari, saying his remark shows the “Talibani mindset of the Congress.” “He is speaking this language because the Congress party itself has a Talibani mindset. He is supporting a terrorist organisation known for cruelty against women and minorities. Several people are fleeing Afghanistan because of fear. Does Ansari want to see similar things happening here?” said Biranchi Narayan, BJP’s chief whip in the state Assembly.