Modi should own up responsibility for 2002 riots: CPI

New Delhi, Apr 16:

today accused BJP leader

and his government in

of connivance in the 2002 "genocide" and demanded he own up moral responsibility for the riots. "What had happened in 2002 in Gujarat was a genocide, a massacre.

It could never have happened without the connivance of the state authorities and Modi," party National Secretary D Raja said here. He said even the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, "had to speak up about 'raj dharma' because someone had violated it. Who was it? It was none other than Narendra Modi." Maintaining that history will "always question the role of Modi and his government" on the 2002 riots, Raja said the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate had "never apologised" for the happenings.

"He should own up moral responsibility for what had happened then under his rule." The CPI leader said Modi's talk about democracy "does not mean anything because no one can accept his definition of democracy. We are a secular democracy after all."

PTI