From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday accused the Prime Minister of silence and shutting his eyes to his Bharatiya Janata Party pushing India back by playing politics of fear and hatred.
Its spokesperson Alka Lamba said the communalism is rising in the countr. There were 857 incidents of the communal violence in 2020, which are 96% more than 2019 and in Delhi alone, there were 520 sucn incidents in 2020.
She said 13 political parties pressed the PM to issue an appeal for peace, ignoring how the BJP has been adding and abetting communalism for winning elections, disrupting communal harmony in the states due for elections to divert the people’s attention from the real issues, harming the nation in two ways by damaging the nation’s international image and no investments, no industries, no new business in the areas, increasing the unemployment.
Lamba said removal of communalism should be the Centre’s first priority, but it is pushing the country on the Path of Jinnah who believed dividing the nation on the basis of religion, instead of adopting the path shown by Gandhi, Nehru and Patel.
In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of the Congress called an all-party meeting on Wednesday to talk to the leaders of all parties. Lamba said the Prime Minister should follow suit instead of speaking not a single word against the hatred rising head in the country for the past eight years.
She said the PM also imposed the Agnipath recruitment scheme on the youth without talking to the opposition parties, resulting in violence in many states. But even today he has not relented.
Lamba said a “Bharat Jodo Yatra” being launched by the Congress from October 2 will prove decisive in the removal of the atmosphere of fear and hatred.
