Religious leaders in Gujarat have said they were unaware of the science behind the recent Gujarat riots, and the BJP had failed to provide them with any information about the causes.
The Hindu, an English-language daily, quoted Dr Amitabh Bachchan as saying, “In the past, we did not have any information, even after the attacks, but now we do.
We are aware of the issue.”
Bachchan was reacting to the BJP’s claim that it had taken responsibility for the violence, but it had failed even to provide any information.
The BJP said on Wednesday that its position on the riots had been updated on Saturday and that it would now be a “national debate”.
Bachchans comments were in sharp contrast to those of former Gujarat chief minister and BJP MP VHP leader Jagdish Shetty, who on Wednesday said the Gujarat government had “failed to inform us” about the riots.
“They (the Gujarat government) should have sent an alert to the Centre and asked for an explanation from the Centre,” Shetty told reporters on the sidelines of a function at the state assembly.
“But instead they have not said a word.
The Gujarat government has failed to inform the people,” he said.
“They have ignored us.
They are hiding behind the law.
This is a big mistake.
They should be ashamed of themselves.”
The BJP’s response to Shetty was to claim that the Gujarat riots were “part of the BJP, an ideology that the BJP has used in Gujarat.”
The party said it had “put in place safeguards” to prevent future attacks, and that the state government was taking steps to prevent any such violence.
“We are in a state of great shock,” said Shetty.
“I can only speak from my experience.
We were told that Gujarat is the land of the secular, but we did nothing.
There is no religion in Gujarat, and no one believes in it.”
