The Congress on Monday charged the BJP with playing politics over a lynching incident in Maharashtra. The party called it a shameful attempt to ‘politicise and communalise” the incident.
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In a statement, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the lynching at Gadchinchli village on the border of Dadar Nagar Haveli was ‘extremely unfortunate and the Congress party unequivocally condemns it’.
He said, “There is no communal or Hindu-Muslim angle to the attack as is being sought to be projected by those, who see an opportunity in every such incident to inflame communal passion. We urge all such persons and groups, including political parties and a section of the media, to desist from doing so.” All those who have been arrested are ‘local adivasis’.”
On April 16, three Mumbai residents while on their way to Surat were lynched, allegedly by locals, on the suspicion of them being ‘thieves’.
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Mr. Surjewala said there was no place for violence in a civilized society. “We have urged the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to ensure an expeditious trial and punishment of the guilty”.
Earlier, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also accused the BJP of playing politics over the incident. “I think the BJP is playing politics at a very very disturbing moment in our society's history,” he said through an online press conference.
