narendra modi: ‘Shocked at silence of PM Modi’: 13 opposition leaders issue joint statement, express concern over recent communal violence | India News

NEW DELHI: Leaders of 13 opposition parties on Saturday expressed deep concern over the recent incidents of hate speech and communal violence in the country and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s silence over the issue.
“We are shocked at the silence of the Prime Minister, who has failed to speak against the words and actions of those who propagate bigotry and those who, by their words and actions, incite and provoke our society. This silence is an eloquent testimony to the fact that such private armed mobs enjoy the luxury of official patronage,” they said in the joint statement.
In a joint statement, the leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and her Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand counterparts M K Stalin and Hemant Soren, also raised concern over the manner in which issues relating to food, dress, faith, festivals and language “are being used” by the ruling establishment to polarise society.
The opposition leaders appealed to all sections to maintain peace, foil sinister objective of those who wish to sharpen communal polarisation.