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1980 Moradabad riots: Political slugfest over timing of tabling probe report
The tabling of the 1980 Moradabad riots inquiry report in the state assembly has sparked a political battle between the BJP and opposition parties. The BJP claims the report will reveal the truth about the riots, while opposition parties allege it is a ploy for the 2024 elections. The report allegedly blames Muslim League leaders and members of the Muslim community for the riots, which the BJP plans to use against the Congress and Muslim community leaders. The opposition claims the report is incorrect and an attempt by the BJP to create communal tension.
The tabling of the 1980 Moradabad riots inquiry report in the state assembly on Tuesday sparked a political slugfest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
The BJP leaders claimed that the state government tabled the report to make the truth of the riots public. “The people should know which parties and leaders are involved in hatching conspiracies to instigate the communal tension. Why the successive governments of Congress, SP and BSP did not table the report in the public domain,” the BJP leaders said.
The leaders of the Congress, the SP and the BSP alleged that the Moradabad riots report had been tabled now for making political gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. “Facing anti-incumbency factor, the BJP is working to play the communal card in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The BJP will use the report to polarise voters on the communal lines in sensitive Rohilkhand region of west U.P. in which Moradabad is located,” the opposition leaders said.
The BJP and RSS leaders have been given clean chit in the inquiry commission’s report whereas leaders of the Muslim League and members of Muslim community have been blamed for the riots. “The BJP will use the report to blame the Congress and Muslim community leaders for the riots,” said a senior Congress leader.
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “All the parties should welcome the inquiry report. The common people will know who fans the riots, who supports it and who fights against the communal violence.”
“The opposition party’s government had hidden the report whereas the BJP government worked to table it in the assembly. The report will bring the truth before the people,” he added.
BJP state unit spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, “After the formation of the BJP government in 2017, the Uttar Pradesh has remained free from riots and communal harmony has been restored. The BJP government has the courage to table the Moradabad riots inquiry report that had been intentionally buried by the successive opposition parties’ government. The BJP government is committed to justice and appeasement of none.”
Raising question over the intention of the BJP government, SP MP from Moradabad ST Hasan claimed, “Correct facts are not mentioned in the report. The police force had opened fire on the protesting Muslim community members who had assembled to offer namaz. The then leader of Muslim League Shamim Ahmed as well as Khaksar movement leader Hamid Hussain have been blamed for the riots which is incorrect.”
“The people of Moradabad had forgotten the riots, Hindus and Muslims are living in harmony. To create communal tension and to polarise voters before the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is doing so. The conspiracy of the BJP will not succeed as the people of U.P. have made up their mind to support the INDIA alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” he claimed.
Brijlal Khabri, UP Congress committee president, said: “It is obvious that the bringing the report after four decades is the BJP’s attempt to affect the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The top BJP leadership seems exasperated over their imminent fate in 2024 polls. After nine years in power at the Centre, the BJP brings in the report just before the elections”.
BSP MLC, Bhimrao Ambedkar said, the chief minister had mentioned that the previous governments did not table the Moradabad riot inquiry report as it feared that the report might disturb the communal harmony. “Why is the BJP interested in the riot that took place 43 years ago? The opposition parties nor any leader had raised the demand to table the report in the assembly. The BJP plans to use the report to serve its vested political interests. The BSP will raise the demand of brotherhood and communal harmony in the state,” he said.
