Sonia Gandhi attacks BJP Government for spurt in communal violence

Sonia-GandhiThiruvananthapuram, Aug 12 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi said here today that the number of incidents of communal violence across the country has steadily increased since the formation of the BJP Government at the Centre.

Speaking at a Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) rally, Gandhi said that occurrence of communal violence has vastly increased since the new government came to power, something she claimed was of "great worry" to the Congress.

"During the UPA I and UPA II governments, there were hardly any incidents of communal violence. In the 11 weeks since the BJP came to power, we have had 600 incidents of communal violence in Uttar Pradesh and perhaps as many in Maharashtra. What is very clear is that these incidents are deliberately created to divide our society along religious lines. We must resist and condemn all such attempts but also through our own efforts, promote the idea of a secular and plural society," she said.

She praised the KPCC for its victory in the state, and admitting that the party had performed poorly in other parts of the country, said that the KPCC was a model for all the other state Congress units. (ANI)