Govt raking up Communal Violence Bill with eye on polls: BJP

The Opposition today attacked the government for raking up the Communal Violence Bill issue, saying it was being done with an eye on the impending Assembly elections in five states and charged the Congress with playing communal politics.
BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu sought to know what is the need for such a bill which if passed will allow the Centre to intervene in case of a communal riot in a state.
"We want to know what is the need for such a bill. This issue has to be dealt with by the respective state governments. How does it come under the Centre's domain? This is a part of appeasement politics of the UPA government. It will boomerang on the Congress party and it will live to regret it," Naidu said.

His party colleague Shahnawaz Hussain charged that the issue is being raked up deliberately at this time by the Congress as it is election time.
"Minority Affairs Minister K Rehman Khan has written this letter to the Prime Minister on the Communal Violence Bill. Such letters are written when elections are in sight. There is a hotline between the ministers and the Prime Minister. He could have talked to the PM directly," he said.
Hussain claimed that Congress has no right to talk about controlling communal violence as the highest number of riots have taken under its watch.

"Congress wants to divide the country on communal lines... This is being done to divert attention from the current issues- price rise, corruption, poverty and lack of development," he said.

However, Congress denied this charge.
Khan said a law against communal violence is needed in the country. "I have written the letter to the Prime Minister as communal incidences are taking place in the country. Till it is stopped through law and the right rehabilitation and compensation is given to victims there will be violation of human rights," he said.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh said the Communal Violence Bill should be passed as it is an election promise of his party.