Cong is politicising violence: Javadekar

nNEW DELHI: Union minister Prakash Javadekar Wednesday lashed out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had held a press conference earlier in the day to attack the central government over the Delhi violence that has killed at least 20 people.

Javadekar said Sonia’s statement after the Congress working committee’s resolution was timed to politicise the violence.

The BJP also hit out at the opposition parties for raising questions on why national security advisor Ajit Doval has taken charge of the situation.

According to the police and hospital authorities, 27 people have died and over 330 injured in the violence that started with isolated instances of stone throwing on Sunday and rapidly escalated into a communal riot over the next two days.

The police had started to crack down on Tuesday evening but instances of violence were reported from some pockets on Wednesday morning as well.

“At a time like this, instead of helping to calm down the situation, they (Congress) are pinning the blame on the government,” Javadekar said.

The Congress had targeted Union home minister Amit Shah and demanded that he step down for his handling of the violence.

Javadekar called the demand “farcical” since he had been trying to control the situation from Day One.

“They should know he (Amit Shah) called a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) and has been raising the morale of the police. By politicising this violence, the Congress is lowering the morale of the police,” the minister said.

The irony is that the party that has the blood of the Sikh massacre on its hands is talking of this violence, said Javadekar, alleging that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had supported the violence that had broken out after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.

To CPI leader Sitaram Yechury’s quip about NSA visiting the troubled areas, a senior BJP functionary said, “His (NSA) visit shows how seriously this issue is being dealt with.”

Addressing the media, Yechury had said, “If NSA is supposed to be in-charge of Delhi Police then what is the role of the home minister?”

The BJP hit back, claiming that the home minister had been monitoring the situation round the clock and it was his decision to send the NSA to take stock of the situation and reach out to the people.