M A I N   N E W S

Muzaffarnagar violence
Not the time for Prez Rule in UP: Cong
Aditi Tandon/TNS

New Delhi, September 9
The Congress today condemned communal riots that have claimed over 30 lives in the Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh, but said there was no necessity of imposing President's Rule in the state.

Paramilitary troops stand guard during a curfew in Muzaffarnagar on Monday. — PTI

"It is not the time for the President's Rule. It is a time when the Centre and the state must work strongly to restore peace in the state," Congress national spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said. He blamed "vested political interests for communal killings in UP".

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said "restoration of tranquility in UP was an overriding imperative and time for a post-mortem would also come".

Taking the line of "political conspiracy" that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav voiced to explain killings in the state, the Congress hinted at BJP hand in the trouble saying attempts by certain groups to create polarisation could not be ruled out.

MHA advisory  The Home Ministry has issued an advisory to seven states asking them to be extra vigilant  The message has been conveyed to governments of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir All these states have witnessed communal violence in the past few months

"Since elections are nearing, some political groups with vested interests are creating communal tension in UP. Efforts to create polarisation cannot be ruled out," Das said.

"There was peace in the country and no such incident had occurred anywhere in the last four and a half years; then why now before elections? It's anybody's guess as to who is behind all this," he added in a veiled reference to the BJP which had recently announced 84 kosi yatra in Ayodhya to whip up the Ram temple issue. They were, however, prevented by the SP government.

Asked why the Congress was going soft on its ally SP when it goes ballistic on any reference to the anti-Muslim Gujarat riots, the party spokesperson said everyone involved in inciting violence should be acted against including Congress own MP Harendar Malik whose name had figured in an FIR and the Centre and state should work to normalise the situation first.

Das admitted that the UP Government had failed to perform its "raj dharma" considering that the Ministry of Home had, on September 6, issued an advisory to the state and a day later the cabinet secretary had held a meeting with state officials.