Delhi riots: Congress, activists, leaders call for peace

As rioting in parts of northeast Delhi continued on Tuesday leaving 150 injured and 10 dead, leaders of various political parties, social activists and Delhi chief minister appealed to people to maintain peace and not pay attention to rumours or post any inciting messages on social media.

The Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that this is not the time for accusations. He appealed to the Prime Minister and Home Minister to “rise up to the occasion” and help to maintain peace, law and order in the country.

“Can you rise to the occasion, leave aside your political partisanship and views and become really not leaders of your parties but leaders of the society so that harmony, peace and non-violence, they continue to be the gospel truth as also the primary principles on which this country is run. That is our sincere appeal with all utmost humility on behalf of people of Delhi and the country, to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, to Home Minister Shri Amit Shah and to Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal for the nation look at all of you to provide leadership. Do not fail this country because you belong to different political parties.

Congress party and its leaders will stand in unison and, if necessary, stand behind you to ensure that the society and our love and affection and mutual respect for each other and that the principles of non-violence and that the principles of mutual brotherhood and cohabitation that is centuries old, that is pre-independence in this country, that culture of bonhomie, that culture of co-operation, that culture what we call the ‘Ganga-Jamuni Tehzib’ of India is not annihilated because some people want to convert Delhi into ‘Dangon Waali Delhi’. Let us make it an example of peace, cohabitation and mutual respect between communities, between religions and between our entire society. So the nation looks upon you and we await a response both from the Prime Minister as also from the Home Minister as also from the Delhi Chief Minister and the Congress party will support any and every such endeavour.

As many as 25 social activists and intellectuals also issued an appeal to “all authorities, politicians, residents of Delhi and particularly the Delhi Police Commissioner, Home Minister, Prime Minister, Delhi Chief Minister to take immediate steps to put an end to all violence and hostilities against ordinary people in the various neighbourhood across Delhi.”

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted photos of him meeting the injured in the hospital and repeatedly appealed for maintaining peace. In the morning on Tuesday, some leaders of the Aam Admi Party along with the chief minister went to Rajghat and offered prayers that the violence stops in Delhi.

Swaraj Abhiyan Party leader and social activist Yogendra Yadav too tweeted a video message paying tribute to head constable killed during the violence in Delhi and appealed to people to not heed any rumours or provocative social media posts and maintain peace: