Medha Patkar dismisses Swamy's remark calling her 'Maoist'

Patkar, the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Mumbai North-East Lok Sabha constituency, hit back saying that all the countrymen were aware how she and her organisations stood for the strongest punishment for all the terrorists always.

"What we are opposed to is only the capital punishment, hanging the culprit," Patkar said.

"Let him prove that I am a Maoist even when the Maoists themselves would never claim the same. Non-violence for us is a value and not merely a strategy. This is based on our sincere commitment to non-violence. More than 100 countries have given up the barbaric punishment which no human being can approve since killing a human being is an inhuman act!" Patkar said.

Dismissing Swamy's "fake criticism... just when (Narendra) Modi is going to polls in Varanasi," Patkar said Swamy had to defend the communal fervour in BJP's campaign.

Swamy had also sought to know whether any of Patkar's comrades had died in a terrorist attack.

"No, never, because there is a nexus, an understanding between all anti-India forces. They never cross each other. Their goal is to slowly break India into fragments. Fragments that hate each other and become slaves once again to the Evangelical and Jihadi powers. Because that's what the weak and divided are," Swamy said.

"However, his purpose would be better served if he targets some of those politicians who are engaged in fake battles on non-issues instead of issues of the people and their struggle," said Patkar.