New Delhi, September 14: Terming Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s plan for a three-day fast for peace and harmony as “gimmickry”, the Congress on Tuesday said that he should instead offer an apology for 2002 riots.
“It is genuine contrition which matters and which should be reflected in a profound and comprehensive apology which alone can be a starting point of genuine empathy. Otherwise the country cannot be fooled by gimmickry,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters in New Delhi.
“Whatever Modi is doing, only he and God know. BJP’s actions are always full of hypocrisy and stunt,” said AICC in charge of Gujarat Mohan Prakash.
In Ahmedabad, state Congress president Arjun Modhwadia advised Modi to apologise to family members of over 2,000 people, Hindus and Muslims, killed in the 2002 riots which would be a “real repentance” for failing to fulfill his “Raj Dharma”.
Describing Modi’s announcement as a “political stunt”, Modhwadia in a statement said that the then prime minister A B Vajpayee had reminded Modi that he should fulfill his Raj Dharma or his duty to protect the life and property of every citizen in his state but Modi utterly failed.
–Agencies–