New Delh: Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s remark that had he met young protestors at India Gate, armed Maoists would also have expected the same, drew sharp criticism from activists.
“It is easy to ask the home minister to go to India Gate and talk. Tomorrow, if some other party holds demonstrations, why should not the home minister go there? Tomorrow, BJP could demonstrate, tomorrow Maoists will come here to demonstrate with weapons,” Shinde told a news channel Monday.
“He should not have said it… If he thought the protest was genuine he should have gone there to meet the protestors,” Anita Ghai, a teacher at Delhi’s Jesus and Mary College, told IANS.
However, Shinde downplayed the criticism saying the government was not supposed to go anywhere.
“You should understand the government’s role. The government should not go anywhere. This can happen tomorrow with any government. Why should the government go anywhere,” Shinde said.
Supporting the home minister, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said: “I would not comment much. Perhaps what he wanted to say was ‘how am I to deal with this’. He is more embattled by handling the situation.”
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal told a news channel: “Comparing the students with Maoists is unfortunate.”
Kalpana Vishwanath from voluntary organisation Jagori said the government should listen to people.
– IANS
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