Communal riots a bid to divert attention from governance failure: Maharashtra Congress chief

Nagpur: Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal on Wednesday accused the Central and state governments of stoking communal violence to deflect people's attention from "governance failure" in tackling important issues.

Addressing Congress' Sadbhavna Shanti Yatra in Nagpur, the Congress leader accused the government of helping its "industrialist friends to loot land and mines".

Congress workers and senior leaders, including the party's Maharashtra incharge Ramesh Chennithala, participated in the foot march, which started at Gandhi Chowk.

The Yatra is organised with the objective of restoring peace and communal harmony in Maharashtra, a month after communal violence over the Aurangzeb tomb issue singed Nagpur city, Sapkal said.

"Rulers in Delhi and Mumbai are playing a game of puppetry. They have given sticks, swords and stones in the hands of their puppets with the ulterior motive of making people fight so that they can continue to rule the country and Maharashtra.

"Nagpur never had a history of communal riots. Such incidents are aimed at diverting people's attention from the government's failure to tackle important issues," Sapkal alleged.

He claimed police failed to respond to phone calls for help made by a "ruling party" MLA when mobs went on the rampage in Nagpur on April 17.

"Even phone calls of the Chief Minister were not answered. Considering these incidents, one can guess who sponsored the riots," the Congress leader said.

He alleged the riots were fuelled to facilitate the looting of Maharashtra.

"Lands and mines are being given to industrialists. Land in Dharavi in Mumbai is allotted to Adani," he added.

Sapkal appealed to Congress workers to be wary of machinations of "RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal to make people fight among themselves".

He said the government is responsible for rising inflation which has hurt the aspirations of people from rural and urban areas, the middle class, and the poor.