The Centre on Monday outrightly blamed the Akhilesh government for failing to prevent the communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar which has claimed more than 40 lives and displaced over 40,000 people. Hours after the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, minister of state for home R.P.N. Singh, who accompanied them, said the people of UP have lost complete faith in the ruling SP.
Mr Singh said it was for the first time after Partition that such a large number of people, over 40,000, are staying in relief camps in a single district due to riots. Mr Singh also alleged some political parties have tried to take advantage of the situation by whipping up communal tension.
Mr Singh also accused the IP government for failing to act on Centre’s repeated warnings about possible communal violence. The Union home ministry will now reiterate its concerns during the proposed meeting of the National Integration Council scheduled September 23 to discuss the growing threat from communalism and chalk out ways to combat it. The country has already witnessed 451 incidents of communal violence till August-end this year, against 410 incidents in 2012, with UP topping the states witnessing communal clashes.
“The Centre had warned the UP government well in advance about the communal tension. The home minister (Sushilkumar Shinde) spoke to the CM. But they ignored the warning. They even did not stop the (Jat) mahapanchayat despite warning. You know, law and order is a state subject,” he said.