Former CM stopped from visiting riot-affected Indore

Indore: High drama was witnessed at the airport in Indore on Sunday when a delegation of senior Congress leaders including former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh was stopped by the district administration from visiting the riot-affected areas in the city.

The Congress delegation was not allowed to leave Devi Ahilya airport premises by the district administration on the ground that it would not help in restoring normalcy in the city, which is under curfew since the outbreak of violence on July 3 during the VHP bandh against revocation of Amarnath land transfer.

Denied curfew passes, a livid Singh slammed the BJP-ruled government for the Indore violence accusing it of being "non-functional and totally inexperienced."

The state government has "mishandled" the situation on the bandh day, he alleged. Six people died in communal clashes since last Thursday for which Singh blamed the saffron party activists.

"They (the government) are totally responsible for the riots," he said, alleging that "all riots in the country takes place because of the collusion of RSS, VHP and SIMI."

Besides Digvijay Singh, Union Ministers Narayansami and Kantilal Bhuria and MPCC chief Suresh Pachouri, party's campaign Committe chairman Ajai Singh and Union Minister were part of the delegation.

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Jamuna Devi staged a sit-in before Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's official residence in protest against the delegation being denied entry.

Defending district administration's decision to stop the Congress delegation from visiting the riot-affected areas where normalcy was returning "gradually", BJP state unit chief Narendra Tomar said the action was taken in the large interest of the society to maintain peace.

Talking to reporters in Bhopal, Jamuna Devi said Congress leaders had gone to visit the riot-affected families.

Devi demanded that the delegation should be provided curfew passes to visit the areas and meet the affected families.

Blaming ruling party for the violence and killing of innocent persons on the shutdown day, Suresh Pachouri said the BJP government was attempting to play politics in the guise of the communal riots and asserted that the party leaders would not return without meeting the affected families.

At a hurriedly convened press Conference, Tomar described Congress leaders' attempt to visit affected areas in Indore as "a political stunt".

Tomar said that the Chief Minister on his part after getting the information about the visit of senior Congress leaders including two Union Ministers sent his Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya to dissuade them from visiting the area on the plea that it would not help in restoring peace.

"When all these attempts failed, the district administration decided to confine them within the airport premises", the BJP chief said and rejected that the delegation members have been arrested.

Asked as who should be blamed for the killing of the six innocent people, he said the state accepts its responsibility but accused the Congress for not "acting responsibly" on the issue.

Meanwhile, Congress activists squatted at the airport and chanted religious hymns led by Digvijay Singh.

"We were just asking for curfew passes to visit the riot victims," Singh said.

"If the administration allows the VHP, the RSS to take out Rath Yatra during the curfew, why are they denying us permission to visit," he added.

"Openly the RSS and VHP workers were allowed to go with arms and break shops," alleged Singh, who was chief minister of MP for 10 years.