AICC, Gandhis noticeably silent on Delhi's communal clashes

Though incidents of communal violence in Delhi's Jahangirpur have kept the national capital edgy for the last four days, the main opposition party appears to be keeping a conspicuous 'safe distance' from the issue. The All India Congress Committee has so far not held a media briefing or issued an official statement to provide citizens with its detailed take on the communal flare-up.

The usually tweet-friendly Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too have, so far, avoided comments or tweets on the Jahangirpur clashes. Rahul Gandhi's tweets in the last four days touched on a wide range of issues, including WHO's charge against India on Covid-19 death toll, media report about the new UPSC chairman, a retweet of an article by his mother against trend of hate speeches/bigotry and his greetings on Hanuman Jayanti.

Vadra's recent tweets included her takes on the SC cancelling bail to the son of Union minister of state for home, shortcomings in certain UP scholarships, retweeting her mother's article and greetings on various occasions including Mahavir Jayanti.


A tweet from Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on April 17 remains the exception to AICC's silence on the Jahangirpur riot. Urging Delhi to remain alert, united and safe, Surjewala's tweet in Hindi said, "violence, riots and frenzy will not make religion safe; neither will anyone be strong, Yes, our India will definitely be weakened."

Congress circles are debating what has prompted the leadership to adopt a 'below the radar' attitude on the riot. Some of them recollected how the AICC leadership had constituted a fact-finding team, besides sending a delegation of party MPs, after the northeast Delhi riots in March 2020, over CAA. As BJP and AAP slugged it out over the riot, the CPI-M Polit Bureau and CPI Central Secretariat too issued separate statements, condemning the riot and demanding action against the culprits.