NEW DELHI -- Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness over the cancellation of Pakistan ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali's concerts in Mumbai and Pune following protests by Shiv Sena, its senior leadership hit back raking up the 2002 Gujarat Riots.
In an interview with the Anandabazar Patrika group about the Dadri lynching and the Ghulam Ali incident, Modi said, "Incidents like Dadri and Ghulam Ali are really sad," and he accused the opposition of polarising the country.
"Narendra Modi ji is known in the world because of Godhra, and we respect Modi ji for the same reason," said Sanjay Raut, a senior leader of the Shiv Sena, which forms an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra.
"If the same Modi ji has called the Ghulam Ali and Kasuri ji incident as unfortunate then that is unfortunate for everyone," he told ANI on Wednesday.
READ: 'Really Sad' Says Modi In First Direct Reference To Killing Of Mohammad Akhlaq
While cleared of any wrongdoing by a Supreme Court monitored investigation, Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat in 2002, is tainted by accusations of holding back the police from cracking down on the religious violence.
Th violence was triggered by the torching of Sabarmati Express near the Godhra railway station around 135 kilometers from Ahmedabad, which claimed 59 lives, mostly Hindu pilgrims, who were returning from Ayodhya.
The the vast majority of those killed in communal riots - official records puts the figure at 1,044 - were Muslims.
Over the past week, Shiv Sena has prevented Ghulam Ali to perform in Maharashta, and attacked columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni with black paint while he was on his way to hold a press conference ahead of attending a book launch of Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Mumbai.
Raut's remarks could further strain relations between Shiv Sena and the BJP alliance in Maharashtra, which have been strained after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the attack on Kulkarni, who was a close aide of L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and facilitated the book launch by providing security.
Meanwhile, Samajvadi Party's Azam Khan also jumped into the fray with a snide remark against Modi. RSS and other parties affiliated with BJP considers Narendra Modi as Godhra’s hero," he said.
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In an interview with the Anandabazar Patrika group about the Dadri lynching and the Ghulam Ali incident, Modi said, "Incidents like Dadri and Ghulam Ali are really sad," and he accused the opposition of polarising the country.
"Narendra Modi ji is known in the world because of Godhra, and we respect Modi ji for the same reason," said Sanjay Raut, a senior leader of the Shiv Sena, which forms an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra.
"If the same Modi ji has called the Ghulam Ali and Kasuri ji incident as unfortunate then that is unfortunate for everyone," he told ANI on Wednesday.
Jis Narendra Modi ji ki pehchaan vishwa mein Godhra ki wajah se hui thi, aur usi wajah se hum Modi ji ko aadar bhi karte hain: Sanjay Raut
— ANI (@ANI_news) October 14, 2015READ: 'Really Sad' Says Modi In First Direct Reference To Killing Of Mohammad Akhlaq
While cleared of any wrongdoing by a Supreme Court monitored investigation, Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat in 2002, is tainted by accusations of holding back the police from cracking down on the religious violence.
Th violence was triggered by the torching of Sabarmati Express near the Godhra railway station around 135 kilometers from Ahmedabad, which claimed 59 lives, mostly Hindu pilgrims, who were returning from Ayodhya.
The the vast majority of those killed in communal riots - official records puts the figure at 1,044 - were Muslims.
Over the past week, Shiv Sena has prevented Ghulam Ali to perform in Maharashta, and attacked columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni with black paint while he was on his way to hold a press conference ahead of attending a book launch of Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Mumbai.
Raut's remarks could further strain relations between Shiv Sena and the BJP alliance in Maharashtra, which have been strained after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the attack on Kulkarni, who was a close aide of L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and facilitated the book launch by providing security.
Meanwhile, Samajvadi Party's Azam Khan also jumped into the fray with a snide remark against Modi. RSS and other parties affiliated with BJP considers Narendra Modi as Godhra’s hero," he said.
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