Kapil Sibal, member of the Rajya Sabha, referred to Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that there are no riots when the BJP is in power as “another jumla” on Monday and listed the numerous incidents of racial violence that have occurred when the BJP has been in power both at the federal level and in some states.
Amit Shah urged people to “let Prime Minister Narendra Modi return to power in 2024 with majority, giving him 40 out of 40 seats (in Bihar), and help the BJP form its own government in the assembly elections in 2025” at a public gathering in Hisua, Nawada, Bihar. The BJP will be in charge of “ulta latka kar,” or hanging protesters upside down, to straighten them out. Under our authority, there are no riots, he declared.
Mr. Sibal responded, “Amit Shah: ‘Riots don’t take place under our rule.'” Another piece of hyperbole, yet again. According to the previous union minister, there were 5415 reported communal riots between 2014 and 2020. (NCRB data). 25 racial unrest incidents in just 2019 in UP (9), Maharashtra (4), and MP(2). Haryana (2021) has the greatest rate of racial violence, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (April 2022).
In the aftermath of the communal unrest in West Bengal and Bihar, Mr. Sibal had said on Sunday that “let not 2024 general elections be the reason” for the unrest and questioned Prime Minister Modi’s “silence” on the issue. Following racial unrest that erupted in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif villages during Ram Navami celebrations, Kapil Sibal made his comments.
With the backing of the Samajwadi Party, Mr. Sibal, who served as a Union minister during the UPA 1 and 2 administrations, left the Congress in May of last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate. He most recently put forth the non-electoral programme “Insaaf,” which aims to combat injustice.
