Poll| Has Modi sent message that govt is against incidents like Dadri?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has never supported actions such as the lynching of a man in Uttar Pradesh over rumours that he ate beef even as he sought to distance his government from such incidents. Will this send a clear message that his government is against incidents like Dadri?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has never supported actions such as the lynching of a man in Uttar Pradesh over rumours that he ate beef even as he sought to distance his government from such incidents.

Asgari Begum (In blue), mother of Mohammad Ikhlaq , who was lynched by a mob in Bisada village of Uttar Pradesh over rumours that he ate beef. (Burhaan Kinu / Hindtstan Times)

He also spoke about the cancellation of two concerts in Mumbai and Pune by Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali because of opposition from the Shiv Sena, saying such incidents were “unwanted”.

The Prime Minister sought to distance the National Democratic Alliance government from the lynching in Dadri and the cancellation of Ghulam Ali’s concerts during an interview with the Bengali daily Ananda Bazar Patrika.

“The incident in Dadri or incidents of opposition to Pakistani musicians are something that cause sadness and are unwanted. But what is the Centre’s role in these incidents?” he said.

Modi has been widely criticised by opposition parties for not speaking out on the lynching of 55-year-old Mohammad Ikhlaq by a mob at Bisada village in Uttar Pradesh on September 28 and the cancellation of Ghulam Ali’s concerts but he dismissed the criticism.

Read | PM Modi on Dadri violence: What is Centre’s role in these incidents?