New Delhi, 01 Nov 2015: Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party of prime minister Narendra Modi for the anti-Muslim Gujarat riots of 2002 and the Dadri lynching over beef rumours and said the saffron party had only tried to score political points from the communal riots.
While distributing compensation cheques to the Sikh riot victims on the 31st anniversary of the violence, Kejriwal said that if victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots had got justice then the brutal attacks like 2002 and Dadri wouldn't have taken place.
"Had '84 riot victims got justice, brutal attacks like 2002 and Dadri wouldn't have taken place. Never before has it happened that the President had to speak up on intolerance," Kejriwal was quoted as saying by NDTV.
AAP claimed to have distributed cheque worth Rs 5 lakh each among 2,600 victim families.
On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Sikh massacre, several organizations jointly took out a protest march here on Sunday demanding punishment to the perpetrators. The 1984 anti-Sikh riot was the bloodiest ever for the community, and it left deep wounds yet to be healed as the perpetrators are yet to be punished.
Reiterating their demand for punishment to the guilty, the Sikh community took out a protest march here on Sunday. Some leaders of the Muslim community also took part in the protest march supporting the demand.
The march, organised by Lok Raj Sangathan, originated from Mandi House and proceeded towards Jantar Mantar near the Parliament House. The anti-Sikh massacre had erupted in Delhi following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 31st Oct 1984. She was killed by her Sikh bodyguards as revenge against the Blue Star operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
In solidarity with the victim families, Kejriwal wore black armband. However, his political rivals may see his assertion and gesture as his attempt to woo the Sikh community ahead of the 2017 assembly elections in Punjab.