Addressing a press conference, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that people are being instigated for the last two months.

 

Noting that the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament on December 11 and the Congress on December 14 held a 'Bharat Bachao' rally at Ramlila Maidan where Sonia Gandhi said "the time has come to save the country" and "this is an "aar paar ki ladai" (do or die battle), he said: "It was the place from where Congress began instigating people by making wrong statements."

 

Javadekar also attacked Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for making similar statements and assuring people to support their anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest which, he alleged, played major roles in instigating violence in Delhi.

 

Citing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's statement in which he had said "land shakes when a huge tree falls" for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he equated it with Sonia Gandhi's "aar paar ki ladai" phrase.

 

The Minister also hit out at other Congress leaders including Salman Khurshid and Shashi Tharoor for instigating people. He also mentioned about Aam Aadmi Party leader Amanatullah Khan's anti-CAA speech and recovery of arms and petrol bombs from the house of AAP leader Tahir Hussain during the ongoing tense situation in the city.

 

He claimed that the seizure of arms from Tahir's home indicates that there was preparation for riots.

 

Asking what is the meaning of raising slogans like "Jinnah wali aazadi", he said: "Is it not the step to instigate violence?

 

"I condemn the behavior being adopted by (opposition) parties which are politicising the issue in this violent situation instead of asking people to be calm."

 

An Intelligence Bureau officer and a Delhi Polices Head Constable were killed and over 56 police personnel injured but these parties are still silent, he said.

 

The BJP leader later assured that the CAA will not snatch citizenship of anyone.