BJP on Sunday hit back at Congress for blaming Narendra Modi for the violence in Assam, saying it was an outcome of “politics of divisiveness and blood” on which Congress had harvested “too many votes for too long”.
BJP’s national spokesperson M.J. Akbar said even the victims, who are mostly Muslims, were blaming ruling Congress and have refused to bury the dead until the state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi met them.
“Why? Because they (victims) know that it is an abject failure of the government... It is the politics of divisiveness and blood on which the Congress has harvested too many votes for too long,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
A total of 32 people, including women and children, were killed and several others injured and thousands rendered homeless in attacks by NDFB(S) militants in different areas of Kokrajhar and Baksa districts of BTAD in Assam since Thursday.
Earlier on Sunday, angry protesters in Nankekhadrabari area refused to perform the last rites of the bodies of the 18 people till Mr. Gogoi came and personally assured to provide security to their lives and property.
Mr. Akbar said there was a history of bloody violence in the state and many refugee camps have been made before as well.
“For 14-15 years, Congress is ruling in the state. They have not tried to bring out a solution to this problem so far, because in politics of divide and rule, they get electoral benefit,” he said.
The BJP leader also targeted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had also blamed Mr. Modi, saying he should take another look at newspapers and find out now the victims are clearly blaming the state government.
Cabinet Minister Kapil Sibal and Abdullah had said that Mr. Modi’s speeches targeting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the region played a role in instigating violence against them.
Mr. Abdullah had said that Muslims were targeted because Mr. Modi made a speech there and tried to “incite” people against the community. Mr. Sibal had accused BJP leaders of playing the “communal card” to garner votes.
“Whenever anything happens, Congress has only one person to blame -- that is Mr. Modi. If our party’s PM candidate raises his voice over an issue, which is illegal, then it becomes bad. So do we make illegal legal just because some people do harvest of votes?” Mr. Akbar asked, before asserting, “This is not the way our country will run. If it runs, it will be according to law.”
