The BJP leadership is said to be satisfied with the Manohar Lal government’s handling of the situation following conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case.
BJP president Amit Shah today held a meeting with other party leaders including general secretary and in charge of Haryana, Anil Jain and Bhupendra Yadav. Shah took stock of the situation and ruled out possibility of removing the Chief Minister. It is said that leaders are convinced about the tactful handling of the situation otherwise casualties could have been far more.
Manohar Lal is under attack for the violence by followers of Ram Rahim Singh following his conviction in a rape case. Defending the state government, Anil Jain, told reporters that death of people and damage to property were unfortunate but claimed that the government controlled the situation within three hours with ‘minimum possible damage’.
He said that people killed in the violence were members of the "unruly mob" which defied law and order.
With opposition parties attacking the government for allowing a huge congregation of Singh's followers in Panchkula as the order was pronounced yesterday, Jain said the situation would have been worse had action been taken against the assembling crowd before he appeared in court yesterday.
"There is no such consideration," he said when asked if the party was considering removal of Manohar Lal, who had also faced criticism for his government's handling of the Jat agitation for reservation.
"The priority of the government was to ensure that the court's order (ensuring Singh's presence) is executed. This 'baba' has huge following and getting him to court peacefully and then sending him to jail after his conviction was a big task which it did. He has most fanatic followers," Jain said.
Violence could have been worse if the government had used force before Singh arrived in the court, he said, adding that it might have resulted in the self-styled godman not presenting himself before court.
Opposition slams BJP, demands Manohar Lal's removal
Stepping up the offensive, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "saving" Khattar and demanded the sacking of the Chief Minister and imposition of President's rule in Haryana.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the death toll figures reported "seems to be false, and it's higher". He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to "save his friend Khattar".
"You are seeing a naked dance of absolute violence, riots on the street," Singhvi said on the violence that took place in Haryana on Friday.
Singhvi said there was a failure on the part of the Centre as well as state government, adding that the "'nikammi sarkar' (useless government) should be suspended".
"It is unprecedented that a situation like this came with a notice of seven days, but both the Haryana and the central governments remained mute, impotent spectators," Singhvi said.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati dubbed the violence as "shameful surrender" of the Khattar government to votebank politics. The CPI-M also demanded sacking of the Chief Minister.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement that Khattar should be "immediately sacked" for failing to protect the lives of innocent people and demanded dissolution of the BJP government in the state.
