Bengaluru, April 7 : Former on minister and present Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken on Thursday said his party condemns Al-Qaeda’s statement on hijab row and it has no business to comment anything about the internal affairs of the country. “Let me make it amply clear in most unequivocal terms that we condemn the statement of Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organisation, it is a banned organiation, and it has no business to comment anything about the internal affairs our country. The Congress party strongly condemns it,” former on sports minister told reporters here. Maken said the Congress also ”condemned the behaviour of Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra because both Al-Qaeda and BJP are vitiating the atmosphere of the country by communal statements”. “Both (Al-Qaeda and Home Minister) of them are doing the same thing. Because both of them by their statements are polarising and vitiating the atmosphere of the country. I have come from Delhi I want to tell the people of Karnataka, please don’t vitiate the atmosphere. Karnataka has a composite culture and that is why Bengaluru and the state is the most favoured destination for businessmen, investors throughout the world. Please don’t polarise this atmosphere,” he added. Maken further said whether the BJP or Al-Qaeda, whoever is trying to polarise, is not only vitiating the atmosphere, but also is damaging the economy of Karnataka. “India is a democratic country and people here are strong enough to take care of their problems and solve them by themselves,” former Delhi Lok Sabha MP said. Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who is rumoured to be dead, purportedly said in a video message had praised Muskan Khan’s stand in favour of hijab-wearing in classrooms during teaching hours in educational institutions in Karnataka. Zawahiri had also penned a poem lauding Muskan for confronting a group of students opposing hijab in her college in early February. Maken alleged that the Hindu organisations were raking up the issues of halal, banning loudspeakers and Muslims around temples, with an aim to divert people’s attention from BJP government’s failures and fend off 40 percent corruption charges against it. “They don’t want people to ask them questions on unemployment and other issues … They are afraid of the recent “success” of the Congress in byelections and in local bodies polls. The Congress will counter them by taking up real issues impacting the common man. The BJP is raking up such issues as they are scared of the Congress party which has performed ‘exceedingly well’,” he said. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar said the objective of the home minister’s statement was to create disharmony in the society and mislead the people. “I urge the Police Commissioner and Director General of police to book a case against him. His statement was to incite people and create hatred between comm ties, and also influence the investigation. He should be arrested,” he said. Jnanendra had on Wednesday said that a youth was murdered because he could not speak Urdu as demanded by the assailant, but subsequently retracted it by stating that the incident was actually over road rage. BDN GK