Rajasthan leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria on Monday urged Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to apologise for inviting Asif Ansari, the main accused in the Chhabra violence, in an iftaar party organised recently at the chief minister's residence.
Kataria also sought action against his staff for inviting the accused.
The pictures of Ansari at the CM's residence are going viral. The Chief Minister had invited veterans from the Muslim society from across the state to strengthen his vote bank, said Kataria, adding, "Chhabra riot accused was also amongst these invited. It seems CM himself is pushing the state into communalism. From Karauli to Alwar episodes, it is clear that the CM is playing the communal card. The need of the hour for the CM is to take strong action against those who invited this accused to the roza iftaar party. It is unfortunate for the state to see an accused being clicked with the CM in his own party," Kataria added.
Action should be taken for those who invited the accused, and the Chief Minister should apologise to the people of the state for inviting this accused, he demanded.
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Ansari reportedly is one of the main accused in the communal riots reported last year, when several homes and shops of Hindus were burnt down in Chhabra town in Rajasthan's Baran district. Public property, police vehicles were damaged and a fire tender was set ablaze too, officials said.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also commented on the issue and said, "The man who should have been in jail was enjoying CM's hospitality! Sheltering rioters is secularism?", he questioned in a tweet, which had a picture of the alleged accused Ansari.
