Just blaming farmers for Red Fort violence won't do, let there be SC judge probe: BJD in Rajya Sabha

'I appeal to the national leaders and parties to incorporate ahimsa in the Preamble of the Constitution,' BJD Rajya Sabha leader Prasanna Acharya added

Describing the violence in Red Fort during the tractor rally on January 26 as one of the "most unfortunate" incidents after Independence, BJD on Wednesday demanded an impartial enquiry, possibly by a sitting Supreme Court judge, saying one cannot stay silent by just pinning the blame on farmers.

BJD Rajya Sabha leader Prasanna Acharya made the demand during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address as he said the speech "did not inspire" people as it was just a "stereotype speech".

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He said nobody appreciated the incidents when a section of protesters indulged in violence and hoisted religious and farmers' association flags at the iconic monument.

Acharya said putting the "whole blame" on some farmer associations or a few leaders is not going to help and his suggestion to the government was to constitute a "proper, impartial enquiry, possibly by a sitting Supreme Court judge" to "know the truth" about those behind the incident.

"How thousands and thousands of people were allowed to enter the Red Fort. Who opened the gates of Red Fort? What was the role of the police? What was the role of local administration? What was the role of farmer leaders? What was the role of the farmers organisations spearheading the protest? What was the role of the government as a whole?," he said.

"We cannot just sit silent by putting the blame on certain people or certain leaders...The truth has to come out. It is the right of all countrymen that they know the truth. This is not a simple incident. It is an unprecedented incident,"he said.

It was not just on January 26 that there was violence. There have been several incidents in the past couple of years, he said adding that he was not into a blame game.

"We need to create a mindset of ahimsa. I appeal to the national leaders and parties to incorporate ahimsa in the Preamble of the Constitution," he added.