‘Kasab was served biryani’: Piyush Goyal slams Congress amid Mumbai attack plotter Tahawwur Rana's extradition

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday slammed Congress party amid 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India, and claimed that ‘Kasab was served biryani’.

Tahawwur Rana, 64, was on Thursday brought to India after his last-ditch attempt to evade extradition failed as the US Supreme Court justices rejected his application.

Piyush Goyal made the remark while speaking to media persons at Taj Palace, which was one of the locations attacked by the terrorists.

“During the Congress government, terrorists attacked this very hotel (Taj Palace) where we are present. People died here. However, Congress did not do anything to punish the terrorists. The arrested terrorist Kasab was served Biryani,” said Goyal.

In May 2010, a special court had convicted Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab Kasab. Hew was hanged to death in Pune's Yerawada Jail in 2012.

However, Ujjwal Nikam, the then public prosecutor in the case, had clarified that Kasab's demand for Mutton Biryani in jail was just a myth and was "concocted" to stop an "emotional wave" which was being created in favour of the militant.

"Kasab never demanded biryani and was never served by the government. I concocted it just to break an emotional atmosphere which was taking shape in favour of Kasab during the trial of the case," Nikam said in 2015.

The minister further stated that it was PM Narendra Modi's resolve to ensure that people who harm our country are severely punished.

“The accused of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks will finally be punished in India as per our laws,” said Goyal.

26/11 Mumbai attack

On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on the CSMT, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital using the sea route in the Arabian Sea. As many as 166 persons were killed in the nearly 60-hour terror assault.

Who is Tahawwur Rana

Tahawwur Rana is a Pakistan-born Canadian national and close associate of one of the main conspirators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen. He is likely to be lodged in a high-security ward in Tihar jail in New Delhi when he reaches India.

Don't give special treatment to Rana: Tea seller who helped 26/11 victims

Mohammed Taufiq, a tea seller, also known as 'Chotu Chai Wala', who helped many people escape the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, said that accused Tahawwur Rana should not be given any special treatment, like biryani or a separate cell, and demanded that he be hanged to death.

Taufiq was operating his tea stall at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai when it came under attack from terrorists in November 2008. He recounted seeing people dying in front of his eyes during the assault.

"There is no need to provide a separate cell, or biryani and other facilities to Tahawwur Rana, like those given to Ajmal Kasab (the lone terrorist from the Pakistani group captured alive)," Taufiq told PTI.