Amit Shah failed to maintain peace, unity: Sharad Pawar on Delhi riots

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday slammed Union home minister Amit Shah for failing to maintain peace and unity among religious groups in Delhi amid the recent communal riots. Pawar said that the country is going through challenging times as people are being polarised wherever the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power.

Pawar was speaking at the concluding ceremony of ‘Parivar Samwad Yatra’, a statewide tour launched by the state president and senior minister Jayant Patil. The tour started in January last year continued in phases and concluded in Kolhapur with a massive rally attended by lakhs of people on Saturday.

“We have been watching the incidents in Delhi in the last few days. People were attacked, and arson and riots took place. Who is governing Delhi? Though Arvind Kejriwal is ruling the state, Delhi’s home department is with the BJP and Amit Shah (union home minister). He (Amit Shah) failed in maintaining peace and unity in the country’s capital.

Whatever happens in Delhi sends a message across the world and in this case, it has sent a message of instability in the country,” Pawar said.

The responsibility of resolving issues and keeping the country united is with those who get elected to power but today there is a different picture, the NCP chief said while targeting the BJP over the communal divide.

Karnataka too has seen communal riots and you will be surprised to hear that boards have been placed asking people not to buy things from shops owned by people from the minority communities and not eat in hotels run by them, the former chief minister said. “What messages are we giving and all those giving such messages are from the ruling party. All this is happening wherever BJP is in power. It is a sort of challenging situation before us,” he charged.

UDAY DEOLEKAR/ HT PHOTO NCP chief Sharad Pawar at a rally in Kolhapur on Saturday.