New Delhi: Noted lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his "riots don`t take place under the BJP rule" remark in Bihar and dubbed it as "yet another jumla" by the senior BJP leader. The Union Home Minister made these remarks while addressing a public meeting during his visit to Bihar`s Hisua where he urged people to form the BJP government in the state in the 2025 Assembly elections and promised that the new government would "hang the rioters upside down".


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"The rioters have had a free run in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif. Give a full majority to PM Modi in the 2024 elections and elect a BJP government in the 2025 state elections. Rioters will be hung upside down. Riots don`t take place under our rule," Shah said.


However, referring to the Home Minister`s remarks, Sibal shared data on Twitter citing the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and said that "communal riots" have taken place in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh which are the BJP-ruled states.


"Amit Shah: "Riots don`t take place under our rule". Yet another jumla. 5415 communal riots reported between 2014-2020 ( NCRB data ). In 2019 alone - 25 communal riots - UP (9), Maharashtra (4), and MP (2). Communal violence: Haryana (2021) highest cases Gujarat Madhya Pradesh (April 2022)," Sibal tweeted.


 



 


Sibal Questions PM Modi's Silence Over Bihar, WB Violence 


In the wake of communal violence in West Bengal and Bihar, Sibal also questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the matter and said "let not 2024 general elections be the reason" for the violence.


Sibal appealed to the people of the country to put a stop to the "burning of Bengal and Bihar, and to the seeds of hatred" which, he said, can only benefit politicians and political ideologies. The ordinary man becomes a victim of this hatred, he said in a statement.


"I want the prime minister (Modi) to speak up, I want the home minister (Shah) to speak up and condemn the violence. It is unfortunate that in the midst of this violence neither of them have spoken, why are they quiet," he asked.


 


Communal Clashes in Bihar Sharif And Sasaram


Clashes were reported on March 31 in Nalanda`s Bihar Sharif and Sasaram in Rohtas district where Shah was scheduled to visit. However, Shah`s visit to Sasaram in Bihar`s Rohtas was called off due to the imposition of Section 144 following clashes in the district. 


"I was supposed to go to Sasaram but due to unfortunate situations people are being killed there, bullets are fired and tear-gas shelling is happening. I will come to Sasaram surely during my next visit," Shah said on Sunday, adding that there is no point in speaking with the state government in Bihar regarding the clashes


."I pray to God that peace is restored at the earliest in the state. There`s no point in speaking with the state government here, when I called the Governor then Lalan Singh (JDU president) got offended," Shah said.


He further hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying, "The government, which has jungle raj`s Lalu Prasad Yadav`s party, can it ever bring peace in Bihar? Nitish Kumar sat in the lap of Lalu Prasad Yadav because of hunger for power and we will uproot the `Mahagathbandhan` government." The Union Minister also said that Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar always practised the policy of appeasement, which helped terrorism flourish.


"On the other hand, PM Modi scrapped Article 370 and dealt with terrorists sternly," Shah added. "Nitish Kumar won`t become Prime Minister. People of the country have decided that Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister of the country for the third time. After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this government will collapse and BJP will form the government," Home Minister said.