Speaking out against the recent incidents of mob lynching in the country, BSP chief Mayawati alleged on Tuesday that these were acts of BJP supporters and those holding the “narrow and deadly mindset” of the party.
Holding the BJP governments at the Centre and the States responsible for the lynching incidents, in particular the one in Alwar in Rajasthan, Ms. Mayawati, in a statement here, said that instead of condemning such acts, BJP leaders, going by their statements, seemed to be providing protection to these elements.
The BJP had turned Indian democracy into “mobocracy” by giving such elements a free hand to lynch innocent people, she said.
She criticised the top BJP leadership for maintaining silence over the issue.
“Their silence is a direct indication of support,” Ms. Mayawati said.
The BSP supremo also said that the police and administration were not being allowed to do their work in cases of mob lynching in BJP-ruled States. Even in cases of clear evidence, she said the "guilty are being provided all kinds of protection and shelter".
Ms. Mayawati urges the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to come up with a strict law against mob lynching and advised it to "not shy away from its responsibilities by stating examples of previous governments."
Referring to Union Minister Jayant Sinha's recent controversy over garlanding convicts of mob lynching in Jharkhand, Ms. Mayawati said it would be recorded as a "black chapter" in Indian history.