NEW DELHI: The Opposition on Thursday launched a blistering attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving a clean chit to the Delhi Police in the communal riots in his speech in the Lok Sabha.
Besides the Congress and Left parties, even NDA allies like AIADMK and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also raised questions on the government’s wisdom and sought an independent judicial inquiry into the riots. Some leaders even accused the government of “sponsoring the violence”.
In the Rajya Sabha, Naresh Gujral, who earlier in a letter written to the Delhi Police chief claiming that the police had failed to rescue people in Maujpur, said that the recent violence reminded him of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. “February 23 was a dark day in Delhi’s history. Communal fire engulfed the city, armed hooligans attacked innocent Hindus & Muslims. However, the police response was inadequate to say the least,” the SAD leader said.
He urged the Narendra Modi government to send again and again the message of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas’ to the minorities of the country. Samajwadi Party’s Javed Ali Khan, referring to Gujral’s letter, said that “till the time Delhi Police gives a satisfactory response to the questions raised by Naresh Gujral, I am not ready to give it a clean chit.” Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien asked Shah that if the Delhi Police did a ‘commendable job’, why was the Delhi police chief replaced and why was the NSA called on to manage law and order situation.