The Hindu : Modi Govt. connived in carnage: Opposition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 02, 2002

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Modi Govt. connived in carnage: Opposition
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 1. The CPI, the CPI(M) and the Janata Dal (Secular) today charged the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat with having ``connived'' in the gruesome carnage that took place in the State and attacked the Centre for not deploying the Army swiftly in Ahmedabad.

The former Prime Minister and JD(S) chief, H.D. Deve Gowda, demanded the dismissal of the Modi Government and a judicial inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the killings and violence that erupted in Gujarat.

In a joint statement, the CPI(M) and the CPI said that after the ghastly attack on the Sabarmati Express, it was expected that the Gujarat Government would do everything to maintain peace and prevent retaliatory attacks. Instead, the BJP State Government had allowed rampaging mobs to roam freely in Ahmedabad, targeting people from the minority community. ``The largescale arson and killing of innocent people took place with police standing by and watching. The Modi Government has connived in this gruesome carnage and there can be no words to condemn the role of the State Government''.

The parties came down sharply on the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, who represents Gandhinagar, for not showing ``minimum concern'' to protect the lives of the members of the minority community by immediately deploying the Army. They further said that the BJP Government there could not be entrusted with the task of maintaining law and order ``in view of its history of communal bias'' and suggested the Central Government to send in the Army and central police forces and supervise their deployment and operations.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Gowda alleged that the Army was deployed in the western part of Ahmedabad while rioting continued in the eastern part. Describing the Godhra incident as ``heinous'' and not in the interest of minorities, he said that it was the indecision on the part of the Modi Government which resulted in large-scale killings in Ahmedabad.

Mr. Gowda also demanded that the VHP be prevented from carrying on activities at Ayodhya. He said the U.P. Governor should either invite the SP which emerged as the single largest party to form the next Government or impose President's rule since the March 15 deadline of the VHP to start construction work of the Ram temple was approaching.

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