The CPI(M) on Thursday demanded imposition of central rule in Gujarat for the state government's failure to contain communal violence and a ban on VHP and Bajrang Dal alleging that the two Sangh Parivar outfits were responsible for the riots.
"The Centre should immediately ban the VHP and Bajrang Dal, which are responsible for disturbing the communal harmony in the country," CPI(M) General Secretary Harikishan Singh Surjit told reporters at Goraya near Jalandhar.
"Even the role of the Gujarat government in the recent riots in the state is suspected," he said.
Surjit termed the Uttar Pradesh governor's decision to recommend President rule in the state as a "hasty decision".
The Samajwadi Party, which has emerged as the single largest party in the state, should have been invited to form the government, he said. The SP should have been given time to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly, he added.
He alleged BJP hand in the murder of SP MLA Mansoor Ahmed, who was shot dead in broad day light yesterday in front of the Raj Bhawan in the presence of top police officials.
Surjit ruled out any friction in the state wing of CPI(M) and said rebel leader Mangat Ram Pasla has already been expelled from the party. "Now the party is united in Punjab," he said. Bureau Report