Politics kicks up over Palghar lynching as BJP, Congress play blame game

A huge political row kicked up over the macabre murder of three persons including two Hindu Sadhus from Juna Akhada in Palghar in Maharashtra with Congress accusing the ruling of BJP of “shameful attempt to politicise” the incident while the latter alleging a direct NCP-CPI(M) nexus behind the incident.

In Maharashtra, BJP’s oldest ally Shiv Sena had parted ways from NDA and formed a government last year in alliance with Congress and NCP.

The incident, which happened on last Thursday went viral on social media in last two days with many on social media voicing outrage over the killing of Hindu monks and some suggesting a Muslim angle to it initially. Later the Left- BJP blame game began.

Noting that activities of the leftists have been going on in the Palghar area for quite some time, VHP said the lynching is part of Left’s own action and sought to remind people of the 2008 killing of Swami Lakshmanand in Odisha in which though the state pinned the blame on Maoists, many alleged Christian groups to be behind the attack.

Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti was dismissive of Maharashtra government probe and alleged that the state government wants to lay the blame at the doors of innocent tribals in order to protect naxals, crypto Christians, illegal immigrants and Rohingya Muslims. Swami Jitendranand Saraswati of the Samiti also wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah.

Congress leader Sachin Sawant said, “Amit Shah, Ajay Kumar Bisht (Yogi Adityanath) and the entire BJP wants to defame the Maharashtra government. The village where mob lynching took place is a BJP bastion. There has been a BJP sarpanch there for ten years. Most of those, who have been arrested belong to the BJP. BJP should be ashamed of doing communal politics. It is surprising that the Chief Minister of UP, which is the den of mob lynching calls up the office of CM Uddhav Thackeary,” he said.

Congress politician Salman Nizami, who tweeted “So, Muslims are not involved in Palghar lynching - so the outrage has stopped. Well done Islamophobics!” also got trolled on Twitter.

At the AICC, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said all the arrested persons are local Aadivasis from Vikramgarh Taluka in District Palghar and there is no communal or Hindu-Muslim angle to the attack as is being sought to be projected by those, who see an opportunity in every such incident to inflame communal passion.

“These attempts to politicise are deeply shameful and must be rejected with the contempt they deserve,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted a video clip of the incident in which a youth is seen wearing a white and yellow tea shirt, which was identified by BJP national secretary Sunil Deodhar as a leader from NCP.

“Very important revelations in the #PalgharMobLynching case clearly establishes a deep nexus! Why should politicians & leaders be present at the Lynching site ..what were they doing ..Instigating??, Patra said asking Deodhar to name the parties whose leaders were there. Deodhar identified one of them as NCP District Panchayat member and three as CPI-M members.