New Delhi, Nov 19 (NationPress) The BJP on Wednesday criticized Congress MP Imran Masood for labeling Delhi blast suspect Dr Umar Muhammad as a "misguided youth", deeming the comments "unfortunate and concerning".

Meanwhile, the Congress party backed Masood's statements, emphasizing that no faith condones acts of terror.

Masood's remarks followed the emergence of a video in which Umar defended suicide bombings as a "martyrdom operation -- as understood in Islam".

Masood refuted this assertion, stating that suicide bombings are "haram" in Islamic teachings and posited that Umar executed the Red Fort car explosion solely because he was a "misguided youth".

These statements sparked significant backlash from the BJP, which accused the Congress of attempting to "justify" the terrorist act that resulted in the deaths of at least 13 individuals and numerous injuries.

In a statement to IANS, BJP spokesperson Rohan Gupta said, "It is extremely unfortunate and concerning that some political parties in the country are still trying to gain political mileage from this issue. On one hand, they assert that terrorism has no religion, and on the other, some leaders seek to justify the actions of terrorists who harm innocent lives. They should be ashamed."

"The Congress MP made a similar comment yesterday, and prior to that, Robert Vadra had remarked during the Pahalgam incident that such attacks occur due to the oppression of Muslims. What kind of politics is this?" he questioned.

Gupta further asserted that a few individuals involved in terrorism are tarnishing the reputation of the entire Muslim community and should face stringent consequences.

BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur also criticized Congress regarding Masood's comments, stating that Umar was not misguided but rather "radicalized".

Speaking to IANS, Thakur remarked, "Whether in Jammu and Kashmir or anywhere else in the nation, Congress has consistently supported terrorism. Particularly in J&K, Congress has backed terrorism. How can they claim he is misguided? I want to remind Congress leaders that he became a doctor with the nation’s resources, and now they assert he was misguided?"

"He was not misguided but radicalized. He was promised 72 'hoorain'. One earns 'hoorain' only through good deeds, honest prayers, and aiding the impoverished. Why are the people of Kashmir being drawn in by this ideology? The Congress only facilitates further radicalization by making such statements," the BJP spokesperson added.

However, the Congress dismissed the criticism and maintained support for Masood's viewpoint.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput told IANS, "Certainly, anyone who genuinely comprehends their faith and adheres to the correct path cannot engage in such acts of terrorism. Imran Masood is entirely correct."

Rajput also drew comparisons to other forms of "extremism", asserting that those who harm other faiths are equally "misguided youth".

"The reality is that individuals involved in terrorism lack an understanding of their own religion, which leads them towards extremism. Those who perpetrate bomb attacks, those who commit such cowardly acts anywhere, those who harm others' faiths, those who seek to unearth temples beneath mosques, those who attempt to hoist flags on ‘mazaars’, and those who try to kill others in the name of cow protection are all misguided people. These are radical individuals from both sides, and radicalization does not promote a religion but rather devastates it," he concluded.