After leaders of 13 Opposition parties questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" over the recent incidents of hate speech and communal violence in the country, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said the allegations are "baseless". Hitting back, Thakur said the Opposition parties are sowing the seed of hatred in the country.
"These allegations are baseless. Opposition parties are sowing the seed of hatred in the country, this is not acceptable. Sonia Gandhi should look at violence cases in Rajasthan and how their government has failed to take action against the rioters," Thakur told news agency ANI.
"Where were these leaders when violence took place in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and West Bengal? There have been several incidents of violence in the states ruled by the opposition. In the last year, more than 60 such incidents took place in Rajasthan," the Union Minister added.
Earlier in the day, leaders of 13 Opposition parties expressed deep concern over the recent incidents of hate speech and communal violence in the country, and urged people to maintain peace and harmony.
In a joint statement, the leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and her Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand counterparts M K Stalin and Hemant Soren, also raised concern over the manner in which issues relating to food, dress, faith, festivals and language "are being deliberately used by the ruling establishment to polarise society".
They also demanded stringent punishment for the perpetrators of communal violence in the country.
"We are shocked at the silence of the Prime Minister, who has failed to speak against the words and actions of those who propagate bigotry and those who, by their words and actions, incite and provoke our society," they said in the joint statement.
"This silence is an eloquent testimony to the fact that such private armed mobs enjoy the luxury of official patronage." Asserting their collective resolve to work together to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that "defined and enriched India for centuries", the Opposition leaders said, "We reiterate our commitment to combat and confront the poisonous ideologies which are attempting to entrench divisiveness in our society." "We appeal to all sections of the people to maintain peace and foil the sinister objective of those who wish to sharpen communal polarisation. We call upon all our party units across the country to independently and jointly work for maintaining peace and harmony," they said in the joint appeal.
