Guj: Cong, BJP blame each other for NRC, CAA protest violence

The opposition Congress and the ruling BJP held each other responsible for the violence and stone pelting during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Shah-e-Alam area here on Thursday.

While the BJP claimed the Congress was deliberately inciting a specific community by projecting a false interpretation of the citizenship law, the Congress blamed the ruling BJP for Thursday's attack on police in the city.

"It is shameful that the Congress is misleading and inciting a specific community by projecting a wrong interpretation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. To achieve their political goals in Gujarat, Congress leaders have been making inflammatory statements to disturb peace," said state BJP president, Jitu Vaghani, in Gandhinagar on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, police arrested Congress corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan and 48 others for the attack on police personnel during a protest on Thursday.

Twenty-six police personnel were injured after a mob resorted to stone pelting during the protest, and Pathan is accused of provoking the mob.

"It was revealed that the police was attacked as part of a pre-planned conspiracy hatched by the Congress corporator and others. Since Congress can't defeat BJP in elections, it incited people for violence. I urge people not to carried away by the Congress' conspiracy," said Minister of State for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja.

Hitting back, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda claimed Pathan was picked up by police merely on the basis of suspicion, and that he was not present when stone pelting started.

"We condemn this attack on police and want the BJP government to take strict action against the culprits. It is the responsibility of the state government to maintain peace and law and order. If it had planned well in advance as per intelligence inputs, this situation would have been averted," Chavda told reporters here.

"Pathan was arrested on the basis of suspicion only. Since the BJP and its government has failed to provide safety and security to the people, it is blaming us as part of its face saving exercise. People suspect that BJP's people were involved in fanning violence," he added.