BJP president Rajnath Singh on Monday came out in defence of the Gujarat Government during the post Godhra riots saying no party leader indulged in provocation and thus there was no question of apologising for the same.
Maintaining that only Congress party could be blamed for communal violence, Rajnath Singh said: "Congress has a chequered history of having maximum communal clashes under its regime."
Responding to a query on whether the party, if it comes to power, would apologise for the 2002 Godhra violence on the lines of Congress' apology for 1984 Sikh massacre, Singh cited "great difference between the two."
"In 1984 Sikh riots, violence was provoked, but in Godhra, there was no provocation by any party leader. There is a great difference between the two, hence, no question of apology. Rather, Congress should apologise," he said.
"There was a clear-cut provocation for 1984 riots while nothing of the sort was there in case of Godhra. Nonetheless, it was very unfortunate and the BJP had condemned it then and would always condemn it," he added.
In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had apologised to the Sikh community in Parliament for the 1984 massacre. On the other hand, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has all along been sidestepping the question of apologising for the Gujarat riots.
Coming to Modi's support, Rajnath Singh went on to say that he was "India's most popular leader", and announcement of his name as the prime ministerial candidate would not harm the party's prospects in forthcoming Assembly elections, instead, "the party would be benefited."
Strategically, Rajnath Singh chose the capital of Punjab, which had witnessed communal tension for decades together, to make his statement on communal clashes.
"If we look at the history, maximum number of such incidents of communal violence has taken place under Congress' governments. The so-called secular parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have a chequered history," said Rajnath Singh, dubbing the Congress as the "biggest communal party." He said that despite having ruled the country for over 50 years, Congress made no effort ever to ensure communal harmony. "Instead, the Congress is still following the Britishers' 'divide and rule' policy," he added.
His assertion is significant as the Congress has all along been taking the credit of curbing militancy in Punjab, and is still blaming the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-led State Government of creating a situation conducive to the revival of militancy in the State.