Amit Shah blames opposition parties for death of 10 persons during Bharat Bandh

Assuring support to minorities, Amit Shah said that the BJP government will neither remove reservation nor will let anyone end it. He was speaking at a public meeting in Bhawanipatna in Odisha.

BHAWANIPATNA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday held the opposition parties responsible for the death of 10 people across the country during the Bharat Bandh on Monday. Questioning the opposition, he said: "When we had announced that we will file a review petition, why did the Congress and other opposition parties call for a Bharat Bandh? The opposition is responsible for 10 lives lost during the protest." 

Assuring support to minorities, he said that the BJP government will neither remove reservation nor will let anyone end it. He was speaking at a public meeting in Bhawanipatna in Odisha.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that the government is working for the poor and needy. "We are walking on the path shown by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. At the core of Dr. Ambedkar's ideals are peace and togetherness. Working for the poorest of the poor is our mission," he had said at a programme to mark the inauguration of the New Building of Western Court Annexe. 

He also noted how the BJP governments have worked on the path shown by Dr Ambedkar. "There are two places in Delhi, which are associated with Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, on whom the Vajpayee Government had made crucial decisions. It was our Government that got the opportunity to work on them and pay tributes to Dr. Ambedkar," he said.

A nation-wide Bharat Bandh was organised by Dalit groups on Monday against a Supreme Court order which allegedly dilutes the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. At least ten people lost their lives and there was a huge loss of property reported during the protests that took place across the country. 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed for peace, while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government was not a party to the Supreme Court decision on the SC/ST Act and 'respectfully' did not agree with its reasoning behind the verdict.