Don't lecture on intolerance, PM tells Cong, rakes up anti- Sikh riots

Raking up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit back at Congress for its attack on his government over 'growing intolerance' and said it should stop the "drama" of "lecturing", prompting the rival party to target him over the 2002 Gujarat riots.

As the debate over the 'climate of intolerance' raged, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who turned 50 today, added his voice to growing protests by the intelligentsia on the issue, saying there was "extreme intolerance" in the country.

Upping the ante as Bihar Assembly polls enters the final phase, Modi said the Congress should hang its head in shame for the carnage in 1984 when it was in power instead of doing the "drama" of "lecturing" the NDA government.

"Today is November 2. Do you recall 1984? Lakhs of Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and across India on the second, third and fourth day of Indira Gandhi's killing in which serious allegations were made against Congress and its leaders. Today, on the same day, Congress party is giving lecture on the issue of tolerance. 'Doob maro, doob maro'. This does not behove you.

"The tears in the eyes of the Sikh victims have not yet dried. Their wounds have not healed and you are doing this 'dramebaazi' on November 2," the Prime Minister said addressing an election rally in Seemanchal region of Purnea where the last phase of Bihar polls are due on November 5. Counting of votes will be taken up next Sunday.

Congress returned the fire on Modi, saying he has "forgotten Rajdharma" in 2015 too as he was an "endorser of intolerance by his studied silence" over acts of hate and violence.
Congress also accused the Prime Minister of doing "lasting damage" to country's social fabric by "selective targeting of the minority community".

"The Prime Minister's statement is politically motivated and mischievious and is only aimed at repoening the wounds after 31 years," party's senior spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters in Delhi.

Sharma accused the Prime Minister of raising the issue of '84 anti-Sikh riots to "divert attention" from rising concerns over the orchestrated campaign to instill fear and to intimidate.

Noting that Modi invokes former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said that in 2002 he (Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister) had forgotten Vajpayee's message of 'raj dharma' after the communal riots.

"Like in 2002, Modi has forgotten raj dharma in 2015," he said alleging that the Prime Minister is an "endorser of intolerance by his studied silence."

"He should act. As Prime Minister of India, he should not be thinking or acting like a BJP leader or a RSS pracharak. He should fulfill his constitutional and moral duty as India's Prime Minister," Sharma said.

Voicing his feelings over the 'growing intolerance' and return of awards by filmakers, scientists and writers, Shah Rukh said, "There is intolerance, there is extreme intolerance ...there is I think... there is growing intolerance."

"It is stupid... It is stupid to be intolerant and this is our biggest issue not just an issue...Religious intolerance and not being secular in this country is the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot," he said.