“The government is letting incidents such as the Alwar lynching take place to polarise voters in view of the coming assembly elections,” said Congress’s Rajasthan president Sachin Pilot on Monday. Pilot spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the Congress booth management workshop in Jaipur.
What is your take on the lynching in Alwar?
The law says that action should be taken. However, people are being killed in broad daylight on suspicion (of being cow smugglers). This has not happened for the first time in Rajasthan… elections are coming and the BJP has failed (to provide good governance) and to get away they are creating situations which polarise (the public).
Do you think there was laxity on the part of the police, as there are allegations of delay in taking the victim to the hospital?
We have read (about it) in newspapers. There should be a judicial probe as people don’t have faith in the administration or the police. The chief minister (Vasundhara Raje) and the home minister (Gulab Chand Kataria) are not speaking and unless a judicial probe is conducted, the truth won’t come out. It is a serious issue if the police are involved.
Rajasthan is a peaceful state, (but) there has been a lot of violence in recent times. People are being killed on mere suspicion, which is not acceptable in a civilised society. The BJP government is responsible and we don’t know why the CM is silent. Just tweeting will not bring justice. Her government must act and tell what it was doing to stop such incidents.
A contempt petition has been filed against the state government in the Supreme Court over the matter. What is your take?
The petition would be heard and the court and the government will do their job. However, on the ground, the BJP is allowing such incidents to bake its political bread.
What do you have to say on Union minister Arjun Meghwal’s statement on the lynching?
He is saying that lynchings will happen as PM Narendra Modi’s popularity rises — what does it mean? Instead of stopping these crimes, they are supporting it… it is a planned conspiracy. It’s a failed attempt to try to get votes on emotional issues. They are not talking about issues such as inflation and employment and of farmers.
What about the delay in sending the report to the Centre?
They are trying to save their own skin. They won’t do anything. Earlier, too, such incidents have happened, what justice has been given? They are misleading people with their statement.