Anger justifiable, admits PM
Shinde equates protesters with Maoists, asks should he meet everyone
As the nation erupted in fury and people took to the streets to vent their anger, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at last addressed the nation Monday, over seven days after the brutal gang-rape of a medical student on a bus in New Delhi.
In a one-minute speech, the Prime Minister did not give specifics on what the government would do or how it might change rape laws, but appealed for calm. And while he acknowledged the people’s anger was justifiable, he said nothing can be achieved by violence.
While the government struggled to deal with rising public anger, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday equated the protesters, including school and college students, with Maoists.
The minister did not express regret over the police action and instead said that all those involved in violence would be “booked”. He claimed that the government had information that some political elements were behind the violence. “We are looking into it,” Mr Shinde said.
Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday said it was “very easy to ask the home minister to go to India Gate and talk. Tomorrow political parties, including the Congress and BJP, might demonstrate, and Maoists might come to the national capital with arms and demonstrate.” Mr Shinde asked: “Why should the home minister go there?”
On his statement equating protesters with Maoists, he said: “One does not separate it from law and order. I have already talked about it since the day they started the agitation, I met them in my house, in my office. I met their representatives.” Sounding somewhat angry, the home minister said: “After doing all this, if they say we want justice, what kind of justice will we give? There should be some limit, we have accepted all the demands.”
After Sunday’s violence, the Centre on Monday turned the heart of the nation’s capital into a fortress. It shut nine Metro stations in Delhi’s main office/business district and blocked all roads leading to India Gate and Raisina Hill.
Earlier Monday, in a televised address, the Prime Minister said, “As a father of three daughters myself, I feel as strongly about this as each one of you. My wife, my family and I are all joined in our concern for the woman who was the victim of this heinous crime.”