The term "saffron terror" has been a contentious issue in Indian politics, particularly in the context of the Malegaon blast case and similar incidents. Several prominent figures have been associated with the coining or popularization of this term, including P. Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde, and R. K. Singh.

P. Chidambaram, as the Union Home Minister, brought up the issue of what he called "saffron terrorism" during an annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs on August 25, 2010. He cautioned that there was no let-up in attempts to infiltrate militants into India and radicalize young men and women. He also stated that the "recently uncovered phenomenon of 'saffron terrorism'… has been implicated in many bomb blasts of the past". His statement came after blasts in Malegaon in 2006, the Samjhauta Express in Haryana, Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, all in 2007. However, the Congress party quickly distanced itself from Chidambaram's comment, asserting that "terrorism does not have any colour other than black". In 2015, Chidambaram defended his remarks, stating that his successor Sushil Kumar Shinde had questioned "Hindu terror" in a different context, referring to right-wing extremist groups charged in bomb blast cases like Malegaon and Mecca Masjid, some of whom had links with the RSS.

Sushil Kumar Shinde, who succeeded Chidambaram as the Union Home Minister, also waded into the controversy. On January 20, 2013, Shinde accused the BJP and the RSS of conducting "terror training" camps to spread "saffron terrorism" in the country. He stated that reports had emerged during investigations indicating that the BJP and RSS were conducting terror training camps and that bombs were planted in the Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid, and Malegaon. Shinde's remarks drew strong criticism from the BJP and RSS, but he later defended his statement, saying it was not new and had appeared in the media several times. He clarified that he was referring to "saffron terrorism". However, a month later, Shinde expressed regret for his comments.

R. K. Singh, a former Union Home Secretary who later joined the BJP, has also been mentioned in connection with the "Hindu terror" tag. The Congress accused Narendra Modi of speaking a lie when he claimed that the term 'Hindu terrorism' was not used by his party, asserting that it was R. K. Singh who defined the term when he was the Union Home Secretary.

Recently, in light of the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, the BJP has demanded an apology from Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi, P. Chidambaram, and Sushilkumar Shinde for allegedly maligning 'sanatan dharma' by branding innocent individuals as terrorists. BJP leaders argue that the verdict has debunked the "Hindu terror" narrative and that the Congress party manufactured the "saffron terror" bogey for electoral gains. They claim that this "sinister conspiracy" has now been buried for good.