Opposition Parties Waged An Onslaught On The Spirit Of Our Nation: Nadda

New Delhi: Rising tension due to increase in incidents of communal violence has invited many political statements from the opposition parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with both sides accusing each other of creating a hostile environment.

On Monday, the BJP upped its attacks against the opposition parties saying the said parties are resorting to vote bank and decisive politics. BJP President J.P Nadda issued a statement saying that the opposition parties have waged a direct onslaught on the spirit of the nation and cast apprehensions on its citizens. His statement comes against the lieu of a joint appeal issued on Saturday by 13 opposition parties which called for peace and harmony, and demanded stringent punishment for perpetrators of communal violence.

Condemning the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the appeal said the signatories were "shocked" because PM Modi has "failed to speak against the words and actions of those who propagate bigotry and those who, by their words and actions, incite and provoke our society".

The list of signatories includes major political parties such as Congress, Trinamool, Nationalist Congress Party, CPI(M), DMK, RJD and others, however, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party were not on the list.

J.P Nadda, in his open letter to the citizens of the country, has questioned the "haunting silence" of the opposition parties, upon the "forgotten the shameful happenings in Karol, Rajasthan". On April 2, stones were pelted at a bike rally in Karauli, Rajasthan, during the celebrations of Nav Samvatsar, the Hindu New Year. The stone pelting subsequently evolved into arson and violence in the area.

The BJP supremo, in his open letter, also wrote, "In November 1966, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi opened fire on Hindu sadhus sitting outside Parliament who had marched towards Delhi with the demand of banning cow slaughter in India…. Who can forget Rajiv Gandhi's infamous words 'when a big tree falls, the Earth shakes' that justified the killing of thousands of Sikhs in the wake of PM Indira Gandhi's death."

Nadda in an open letter also mentions communal incidents that took place during the then Congress regime from 1969 to 1990s as well as, "various incidents against Hindus in the Kashmir Valley throughout the 1980s, Bhagalpur 1989, Hubballi 1994…."

He also questioned as to which government rule was in place during the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 and in Assam in 2012. Nadda in his letter has said that the youth of India want opportunities and development and not obstacles or division.

"I would urge the Opposition to change track and embrace the politics of development. We owe this to our coming generation," he said in the open letter.

The latest incident of communal tension was reported in the national capital on April 16th after a Hindutva procession, in north Delhi's Jahangirpuri, allegedly attempted to wave a saffron flag in front of a local mosque. The alleged actions led to stone pelting and gunshots fired from a country-made pistol.