Responding to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s demand for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Delhi violence, the BJP on Wednesday raked up anti-sikh riots of 1984 saying the party whose hands are soiled with the blood of innocent Sikhs is talking about controlling violence and indulging in "dirty politics".
Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that Shah was continuously working with the police to control the situation in the national capital and demanding his resignation was "laughable".
"The Home Minister is continuously working with the police, helping their morale and directing them. Such comments and politics from the Congress will not help the morale of the police. We appeal to them to not do politics on the issue," Javadekar told a press conference.
He further said Shah had called a meeting of all political parties including the Congress over the communal violence in Delhi -- which has, so far, left at least 22 dead -- and asserted it is the responsibility of all parties to help maintain peace.
Javadekar said all parties should cooperate and work for peace at a time when violence is abating, notwithstanding the ongoing investigation.
Earlier, at a press conference here Congress President had held Union Home Minister for failing to check violence and demanded that he should step down.
"Playing a blame-game at this time is wrong. Politicising such violence is a wrong way always used by the Congress," Javadekar said, while asserting that culprits will be identified and no one responsible will be spared.
"At such a time, attacking the government and politicising violence is a dirty politics," he said, adding that it also demoralizes police.
He also raked up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots when the Congress was in power to hit back at the opposition party.
"Those whose hands are tainted with the bloods of innocent sikhs in 1984 are now talking about checking the violence...They themselves had supported the violence," Javadekar alleged.