The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has denounced the Good Party (İYİ Party) chairwoman's claims that there were unofficial armed training camps in some parts of Turkey.
In a televised interview Tuesday, AK Party spokesperson Mahir Ünal said such "irresponsible" and "foolish" claims threaten social cohesion.
"What kind of irresponsibility is this?" said Ünal as he slammed Good Party leader Meral Akşener's claim of armed training camps in central Konya and Tokat.
"This is a fool's errand, to say the least. This is a call for a civil war at the worst," the AK Party spokesperson said, adding that the government is working day and night to ensure the security of Turkey and its people through legal and lawful means.
Earlier, Akşener made the claims in a recent interview with the Turkish language daily Sözcü. She said a number of armed groups were receiving training at camps in Tokat and Konya. She called on the authorities to investigate the issue.
The claims faced criticism from other opposition parties, including the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), as well as from the authorities in Tokat and Konya, saying it was not right to stain the provinces' reputation with such claims. They urged Akşener to prove her claims and show that these were not merely political remarks.
Akşener's also claimed that the groups will take to the streets if the AK Party fails in the upcoming presidential elections in 2019.
