New Delhi, March 11 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unleashed a tirade against the Congress in Parliament on Wednesday saying 73 per cent of riots occurred under its regime since Independence.
During a discussion on Delhi riots, Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP) said 871 riots took place under various Congress Prime Ministers 243 under Jawaharlal Nehru, 337 under Indira Gandhi and 291 under Rajiv Gandhi.
Of the 1,194 riots, 73 per cent occurred under the Congress rule and included 18 big riots, said Lekhi reading out data on riots. Though the Congress had continued to raise the 2002 Gujarat riots, the state had not witnessed a single riot since then, she said and added, the state had earlier seen riots almost every year.
The MP from New Delhi lauded Union Home Minister Amit Shah for containing the Delhi violence within 36 hours. "The violence was brought under control within 36 hours, which, if you look at, was in the making for months," Lekhi said.
She also claimed the Home Minister didn't go to the violence-hit areas of north-east Delhi to avoid "splitting of security forces to guard him". "What do you expect? The Home Minister would go and sit in a police station? Would that have not caused splitting of security forces just to guard him," Lekhi said.
Earlier in the Lok Sabha, the Congress hit out at the government for the delay in controlling Delhi riots, alleging it wouldn't have happened with timely action.
Dubbing the central government "nikammi sarkar" (incompetent government), Congress leader of the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sought resignation of the Home Minister for not handling the issue with sincerity.
"If National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's visit can help in controlling the situation why couldn't the Home Minister visit the riot-hit areas," he asked.
( With inputs from IANS )