AAP men clad in saffron wield swords outside mosque: Prakash Javadekar

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday accused members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of allegedly inciting the crowd and vitiating the atmosphere. 

“Yesterday, I saw on a channel that on Sri Ram Navmi some saffron clad people gathered outside a Delhi Mosque with swords and raised inciting slogans. Later, it was revealed that they belonged to AAP. It is a clear attempt to vitiate atmosphere,” Javadekar said.

The Minister of Human Resource and Development's statement came two days after AAP had criticised BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi for her comments that rival parties were "selectively" picking the rape cases in Kathua and Unnao to target the Centre. Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Atishi Marlena said that Lekhi's remarks reflected the "arrogance and insensitivity" of the BJP.

The BJP also attacked Congress over inaction against Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief, who allegedly participated in the rally taken out in support of rape accused.

“Our two ministers resigned. But Congress state chief Ghulam Mir said the same. So, why no action against him by Rahul ji,” questioned Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Human Resource and Development. 

“Jammu Bar Association chief was polling agent of GN Azad. Azad ji has no responsibility? He should apologize to nation,” said Javadekar.

Two days ago, state BJP ministers – Forest minister Chaudhary Lal Singh and industries and commerce minister Chander Prakash Ganga – resigned for attending a rally by local Hindu groups in defence of the rape accused. 

Meanwhile, PDP and BJP sought out differences, with state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti saying that the coalition state government is here to stay. 

She added that the whole country seeking justice for the eight-year-old Kathua rape victim has generated a new hope among the people in Jammu and Kashmir which needs to be built on to recreate an inclusive India. 

“Intolerance and hate are hitting at the country`s core values and posing a great threat to the pluralism, the only option for achieving the goals India has set out,” she said.

The rape and murder of the eight-year-old child has rocked the entire country.

The girl, belonging to a nomadic Muslim tribe in the district, was sedated time and again before being raped, brutually tortured and killed. She was abducted on January 10 and was later strangled to death on January 14. The body of the girl was recovered from Rassana forest on January 17 - nearly a week after she went missing while grazing horses in the forest area.