A chief minister has to take responsibility if riots take place in a state under his watch, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat communal violence.
“I am a chief minister and something happens in my state, I have to take the responsibility. I cannot say no. I may not be directly involved, but as a chief minister, as a home minister, it is my responsibility to protect the interest of the citizens,” he told a TV channel.
He was asked about his stand on whether Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was responsible or not for the 2002 riots.
Published 17 March 2014, 19:34 IST