Can't get away by saying statement was misinterpreted: Rajnath on VK Singh's 'dog' remark

A day after Union Minister VK Singh kicked up a storm with his comments that the Centre cannot be blamed if somebody throws a stone at a dog to shield it from criticism for the Faridabad Dalit burning incident, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday cautioned leaders of the ruling party to remain cautious before making any statement.

New Delhi: A day after Union Minister VK Singh kicked up a storm with his comments that the Centre cannot be blamed if somebody throws a stone at a dog to shield it from criticism for the Faridabad Dalit burning incident, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday cautioned leaders of the ruling party to remain extra cautious before making any statement.

While expressing his views on former Army chief's remarks, Singh said, “We can't get away by saying that statements were misinterpreted or twisted. We need to be extra careful while putting forth our views.”

While cautioning his colleagues from making controversial statement, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader further said that one should ensure that there is no possibility of statement to be interpreted in the wrong sense.

"I feel that as leaders of the ruling party, we must all be extra cautious while making any statement," he said.

When the former Army chief was asked to comment on the gory killing by upper castes of the children in a Haryana village, Singh said: "If someone throws stones at a dog, the government is not responsible. It was a feud between two families, the matter in under inquiry.

"Failure of the administration should not be put on the government's head," he added.

VK Singh's comments follow the torching of a Dalit family's house in a village in Faridabad district bordering Delhi in Haryana that left two children dead and their mother in critical condition.

The gory killings have triggered widespread condemnation and largescale street protests.

Meanwhile, Singh has tendered an apology and said that his remarks were 'mixed' to present a wrong picture.

“Let me be very clear, they were two different remarks, someone has mixed it. Few people from opposition are targeting us for no reason, I've fought for the country, we don't believe in division,” the former Army chief said.