Talking to newsmen in Patna on Tuesday he said such statement has only strengthened the hands of Pakistan and terrorist groups operating from across the border. He said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed has lapped up Shinde’s ‘false’ charges against the RSS and BJP.

Daring Shinde to prove his charges he regretted that the remarks were made at the Congress conclave in the presence of top party leaders. He called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to sack Shinde immediately for making such baseless and irresponsible claims against the Sangh Parivar.

Though he said an effigy of the UPA government would be burnt in Bihar on January 24, in many places, including the state capital, many BJP workers already burnt the home minister’s effigy on Tuesday.