‘BJP’s communal campaign to blame for Delhi violence’

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for inciting the recent violent clashes in Delhi. He also

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for inciting the recent violent clashes in Delhi. He also held Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah responsible for the loss of life and property.

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Pawar said that the ruling party at the Centre chose to run the communal campaign after realising it would not be able to come to power again.

This was the NCP chief’s first public remark about the Delhi violence. He was addressing party workers at a day-long camp organised at Somaiya Ground, Chunabhatti, to kick start the party’s preparations for the BMC elections in 2022.

“When the ruling party in the Central government saw no sign of support from the people, attempts were initiated to use communalism to divide communities on religious lines to gain a political advantage. Be it Prime Minister [Narendra Modi], union home minister [Amit Shah] or any other union minister, their comments during the poll campaign were aimed to disturb communal harmony and unity of the country,” Pawar said.

Condemning the slogan — “goli maaro saalon ko” — which was used by BJP leaders while campaigning ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, Pawar said, “The power to rule and work for the people is being used by the union ministers to ask people to shoot,” pointed out the NCP chief.

“At the time when US President [Donald Trump] was in Delhi, a certain community was being attacked in the same city. Even schools did not escape the violence. If politicians will start doing wrong things and try to disturb communal harmony in the name of caste and religion, then a different situation will be created in the country. I feel we all have to come together and say no to this type of politics,” Pawar said.

He also opined that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government has no power to handle the law and order situation. “It is the responsibility of the Union home minister,” he said.