Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, November 25, said that the Narendra Modi government established “permanent peace” in Gujarat, in the wake of the Gujarat riots, by “teaching a lesson” to anti-social elements. The minister was addressing a rally in Mahudha town of poll-pound Gujarat, when Shah claimed that Gujarat witnessed riots in 2002 because perpetrators became habitual of indulging in violence due to the prolonged support they received from the Congress.
He continued that, once the BJP “taught a lesson” to the anti-social elements in 2022, the party established "permanent peace" in the state. “BJP has established permanent peace in Gujarat by taking strict action against those who used to indulge in communal violence," the Union minister said.
Opposition parties have slammed Amit Shah for his statement, with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi saying that the Home Minister was “drunk on power”. “You taught the lesson of Bilkis Bano, of Ehsan Jaffrey, Gulbarg Society, Best Bakery. Which lesson of yours should we remember,” the Hyderabad MP said, referring to victims and places that were attacked during the riots.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also hit out at Amit Shah. Sharing a clip of the speech on Twitter, Yechury said, “Such comments by the Union Home Minister are reprehensible. Job of the government is to uphold people’s Constitutional rights and the rule of law. Not to “teach lessons” through genocidal campaigns of gruesome violence.”
In February 2002, a coach of the Sabarmati Express — carrying Hindu devotees from the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya — was set on fire near Godhra in Gujarat. As many as 59 people died, and the incident sparked one of the most violent riots in India. A majority of those who were killed in the aftermath of the train burning were Muslims. Thousands were killed and hundreds were injured or missing, with widespread incidents of rape and sexual assault. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat at the time, was accused of having a hand in the violence.