Dadri issue: Gogoi slams Modi's silence, praises president

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining a stony silence on the Dadri lynching for too long when it threatened to snowball into a volatile situation.

He also appreciated President Pranab Mukherjee's "timely intervention", which he said has helped contain the situation.

In a statement here, Gogoi said that Prime Minister Modi who is vociferous and speaks out his mind on every issue under the sun astonishingly maintained silence on the Dadri incident that threatened to create a rift in society on communal lines.

"The president of India who rarely intervenes had to step in to douse the flames that threatened to suck the country into the vortex of communal cauldron. Thanks to the president's timely intervention and soothing balm that helped to contain the situation at a time when the prime minister looked the other way round with the situation threatening to drift to a point of no return.

"It is rare to see the president giving clear cut message to the government with the prime minister looking the other way round. That gave a wrong impression that the Modi-led government at the centre was insensitive and unmindful of the situation with nefarious forces at work to spread communal disharmony, hatred, malice and ill-will among communities," he said.

Muslim man, Mohammed Akhlaq, was beaten to death by a mob on the night of September 28 in Bisara village in Dadri near the national capital over rumours that he ate beef.