BJP creating hatred, intolerance towards rivals: Harish Rawat

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today accused the BJP of creating an atmosphere of "hatred" and "intolerance" towards its rivals in a "planned manner" and urged democratic forces and intellectuals to oppose it.
Referring to a recent statement by a BJP MLA wherein he had called Rahul Gandhi a "traitor" and said he should be "hanged and shot" for siding with "anti-national" elements in JNU, Rawat said he was expecting the party leadership to express regret.
"This has not been done and it's regrettable. It seems the BJP wants to take the country back to the stone age. The BJP's model is against the basic principle of democracy," Rawat told a press conference here.

He asked the BJP to "behave responsibly" as a ruling party and said, "Earlier they branded JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar a traitor and then they did the same to Rahul Gandhi."
"Who has given them the right to declare people traitor? The BJP itself is targeting people and branding them traitor. This way democracy will be in danger," he said.
Referring to Pro-Afzal Guru slogans allegedly raised during an event in the JNU he said, "Afzal was hanged when there was UPA government hence such slogans are against us (the UPA). Why the BJP is coming forward against it?" he asked.

He said while anybody raising anti-India slogans should not be spared, terming the entire varsity anti-national is wrong.
He said that BJP is "pressuring" the Opposition today tomorrow they will do the same with the media.