ASSEMBLY POLL '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS '98
ARCHIVES

BJP flays Congress for hyping Gujarat incidents

The Bharatiya Janata Party today castigated the Congress for damaging the nation's social fabric by making unfounded comments over "stray incidents" in Gujarat.

"It is regrettable that a senior politician like Sharad Pawar, who is also leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, should make a frivolous charge -- that the unfortunate stray incidents in Gujarat were carefully planned by the BJP and the RSS," party vice-president J P Mathur said.

"Unfounded comments such as those of Pawar and the Congress spokesperson, who has demanded action against the RSS, serve to increase tensions. They do not realise that they are damaging the nation and hurting India's image abroad," he said.

He also accused the Congress of trying to gain cheap political mileage out of the incidents.

Calling upon every section of society to maintain restraint and not politicise the incidents or blow them out of proportion, the BJP claimed the government is committed to secularism and security for all.

Mathur said the government's seriousness is evident from the fact that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee plans to visit the state.

Mathur described Pakistan's concern for Christians in India as "amusing". While the Constitution of India accords all communities equal rights and protection, Pakistan gives no such guarantee to that country's minorities, he pointed out.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report