After the BJP hit out at the former Vice President for allegedly exchanging information with a Pakistani journalist, who also claimed to be spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, Ansari said that a “litany of falsehood” has been spread against his name in the media by a BJP spokesperson.

“Lies are being spread against me. Invitations to foreign guests on behalf of the Vice President are given through the Ministry of External Affairs on the advice of the government. I have neither invited nor received,” Ansari said in a statement.

Ansari has come under heavy criticism from the BJP after a Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza claimed that he had passed on the information collected from Ansari during his visits to India to ISI. Mirza said that he had come to India five times between 2005-2011 upon the invitation from Ansari who served as the Vice President from 2007 to 2017.

Citing “TV and social media” reports that Ansari had invited the Pakistani journalist five times during the said period, BJP on Wednesday sought a response from Ansari and the Congress party.

“Mirza said during his India visit, he met him (Ansari) and shared information that is sensitive and secret. We should not forget that the post of Vice President is a Constitutional post and there are many issues that cannot be shared as they are linked to the nation’s security,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said while addressing the press in Delhi.

“This is their policy to fight terrorism,” Bhatia said, adding, “India has been leading the campaign against terrorism and the Congress government invited a person who was given information that was used against our country and its people.”

Bhatia asked both Congress, which was the party at the Centre during the mentioned period, and Ansari to come clean on the Pakistani journalist’s claims to the public.

Bhatia claimed that Ansari had called upon a person from “a country that is known to support terrorism to speak about counter terrorism”.

“This (information) has not been shared once, but five times. He says this information was used against India by the ISI to weaken India,” Bhatia alleged.

“Is it true that you invited him and violated the rule that no government or institution would work against the interests or hurt the security of the nation? Did you invite this person and share secret and sensitive matters, officially or unofficially?” Bhatia asked.

Bhatia said that if Ansari has indeed shared any sensitive information, he should come forward and “share it with the current dispensation to show that you are committed to this nation”.

Bhatia also asked if the Gandhis were in the know about his decision to invite the Pakistani journalist five times.