JOIN USTriggering off yet another controversy, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday drew a “puppy analogy” to the 2002 Gujarat riots, sparking heated reactions across the political spectrum.
In an interview to Reuters at his residence in Gandhinagar, Modi fielded direct questions on his handling of the riots and his alleged role in it, a topic he has avoided all these years.
When asked if he regretted the riots, Modi said: “The Supreme Court created a special investigative team. In their report, I was given a clean chit, a thoroughly clean chit. Another thing... any person... if we are driving a car, we are the driver... someone else is driving a car and we’re sitting behind... even if a puppy comes under the wheel, will it be painful or not? Of course it is. If I’m a chief minister or not, I’m a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad.”
Modi said he never believed in divisive politics. The people of the country are his top priority, he claimed. “I’m not in favour of dividing. I’m not in favour of dividing Hindus and Sikhs.”
Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia said Modi had always believed in vote bank politics and made remarks or references that would divide the society. He said Modi should take his words back and tender a public apology.
After the interview, Modi tweeted that “every form of life is worshipped and respected in our culture and the people are the best judge.”
Meanwhile, many parties including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPM, CPI and the JD-U demanded an apology.
The BJP, which was put on the back foot, insisted that Modi’s remarks were “misinterpreted to appease a particular community.”
“Thousands of people were killed in the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 and the analogy used by Narendra Modi needs to be strongly condemned. There is no place for such a comparison in civilised India,” Congress general secretary Ajay Maken told reporters.
“It is reflective of his perverse mindset. It is totally against the idea of India.”
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Kamal Farooqui reacted strongly. “It is a very sad, very humiliating and very disturbing statement. What does he (Modi) think? That Muslims are worse than puppies? He does not have a heart for them. He should feel sorry. He should apologise,” Farooqui said.