PM Modi sad about Dadri, Ghulam Ali incidents
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New Delhi: After coming under a lot of criticism for his “defeaning silence” on the Dadri beef lynching incident and growing intolerance in Indian society, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke his mind to a national newspaper.
“Incidents like Dadri and Ghulam Ali are really sad but what is the role of the Centre in them?” Modi told the newspaper.
Taking on the Opposition, the Prime Minister accused them of playing the politics of polarisation.
“The BJP has always opposed pseudo-secularism. Now they are using these sad incidents to revive the debate. The BJP does not support such incidents. The Opposition is using these incidents to accuse the BJP of communalism but isn’t the opposition playing the politics of polarisation?” said Modi.
On 28 September, 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was dragged out of his home in a Uttar Pradesh village by a mob and beaten to death after announcements were made at a local temple about a calf being killed.
Modi had been criticised by rival parties for not speaking up on the incident even as his partymen made incendiary remarks and many of the men arrested for the lynching were linked to a local BJP leader.
Last week, while campaigning in Bihar for the Assembly polls, Modi did not mention Dadri but urged Hindus and Muslims to fight poverty, not each other.
“Because of politics and for petty gains, people are making irresponsible statements. I appeal to citizens not to take them seriously. Even if Narendra Modi himself says something like that, don’t listen to him,” he said at a rally.
In the past few days, over 20 writers have returned prestigious awards to record their protest against the Dadri killing and the murder of three rationalists in Maharashtra and Karnataka.