NCP chief slams BJP government over lynchings

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar Saturday slammed the BJP government over mob lynching incidents. Speaking at a NCP minority cell event in Mumbai, Mr Pawar said that a particular community was being attacked in the country and no action was being taken against perpetrators of such attacks.

An atmosphere of fear had been created in the country, he said. Mob lynchings were unheard of in the past but now, such incidents were taking place frequently.

He said that if the country needed to take the path of development, harmony and social integration were required but the current dispensation did not think so.

Mr Pawar’s remark came close to a fortnight after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that lynching was an “inhuman” act and called for stern action against the perpetrators of such crimes.

In the wake of various incidents of mob fury in recent times, the 78-year-old leader said, “Feelings of brotherhood and communal harmony are imperative if the country is to be taken forward on the path of development. But those in power don’t think about it.”

The NCP chief alleged that certain sections of the society were being targeted. But action was not being taken against the perpetrators. He said that the situation in the country was different today and that resentment was being heard from every corner. Seventy per cent of the people were dependent on agriculture. Some parts of the state were facing drought while other parts were witnessing floods. The people were facing a difficult situation and it was the responsibility of the government to support them. The chief minister went to Sangli for an hour and later never went there, Mr Pawar said.

He alleged that neither the head of the state nor the head of the country visited Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts but were busy spreading communal thoughts. A few publications were working towards spreading unrest in society. A particular ideology was being spread. Mr Pawar said that though this was India, brotherhood and equality were being attacked.

Mr Pawar asked the gathering if they had ever heard of the term mob lynching in the past. He urged all present to come together against such incidents. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief also spoke about article 370 during his address.