The sentencing of the convicts in the Gulbarg massacre case on Friday sparked a war of words between the BJP and the Congress, with the two parties accusing each other of trying to turn the issue into a tool for their own political advantage.
Commenting on the sentencing by a special SIT court in which 11 convicts have been awarded life imprisonment, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said people who “played into the hands” of the BJP leaders were now behind bars, while the actual culprits were now enjoying the power.
“Those who played into hands of some political leaders are now behind bars while those who incited them for their political gains have subsequently acquired power. Those who became a tool of such leaders, who always believed in polarisation, will have to spend their lives in jail,” Mr. Doshi said.
“The entire incident of Gulbarg was barbaric and anti-human. Instead of protecting people, the BJP government at that time gave a free hand to [the] violent mob. The government failed to do its constitutional duty. People were incited by some big leaders of the BJP, who saw the violence as a tool to acquire power,” he alleged.
On the other side, Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya rubbished the allegations of the Congress and maintained that there was no conspiracy behind the massacre.
He also accused the Congress and social activist Teesta Setalvad of trying to use the conspiracy theory for political and personal gains. — PTI
