Leaders should be cautious before speaking out, not disturb harmony: Rajnath

NEW DELHI: Amidst a political slugfest over the Dadri incident, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said leaders and political parties should be cautious before speaking out so that the social harmony is not disturbed.

"Leaders and political parties should be cautious before speaking out so that the social harmony is not hampered," he said.

On the controversial statements made by BJP leaders, the Union Home Minister said they were only reacting to remarks of their political opponents.

"Whoever has initiated this polarisation of this ( Bihar) election... if our political opponents have said something then it is the right of people to know what is our reaction... So we are reacting. If our opponents withdraw their statements, we will stop answering them back," Singh told CNN-IBN.

He said development and good governance were real issues in the Bihar election and termed as "unfortunate" the attempts being made by some leaders to politicise and polarise.

"These parties (JDU-RJD-Congress) should come out and speak what they have done, there is no reason to bring in beef to divert the attention of people, this is very sad. Election is a festival of democracy," he said, attacking those who ruled Bihar for 10 to 15 years each.

The Union Home Minister refuted the charges that the government's response on the Dadri lynching came late, and said that he had comment on the matter just a day after.

Fifty-two-year-old Mohammed Iqlakh was lynched and his son Danish was seriously injured when a mob attacked them alleging slaughtering of a cow at Bishada village in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh on September 28 night.