The Congress on Friday castigated the Modi government for increasing casualties in violence and terror attacks across the country, stressing that the law-and-order situation under the UPA administration was far better.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi expressed surprise that a government that spoke so much about nationalism was unable to halt the cycle of violent deaths. “This government speaks so much about nationalism,” he said, “and is unable to provide national security.”
Comparing the casualty figures for the last 35 months of the Congress-led UPA rule and the same period under the present BJP-led government, Mr. Singhvi continued: “In Jammu and Kashmir, 91 civilians and 198 soldiers lost their lives [since NDA came to power]. In the 35 months preceding this, that is during 2011-’14, 50 civilian and 103 jawans were killed — around half the current figures.”
Naxal violence
Maoist violence in the 35 months since Narendra Modi came to power, he said, had claimed the lives of 442 civilians and 278 jawans, whereas in the 35 months that preceded it, the numbers were 367 and 268 respectively. Citing figures, he said violence had been on the rise in the northeast too. “On every parameter — be it Jammu and Kashmir, Maoist violence, Pakistan attack, China factor or the north-east — there has been an increase in attacks,” Mr. Singhvi said.
