New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Delhi Police and the Narendra Modi government came in for criticism from the opposition, including the Congress, in parliament over the Patiala House court violence on February 15 and 17.
The Congress said that the Modi government was formulating a new form of nationalism and harassing those who did not adhere to it.
"Your government has the thinking that a new definition of nationalism should be written and given to the police and all those who do not agree should be harassed," Congress leader Anand Sharma said while participating in a calling attention motion on law and order in Delhi in the Rajya Sabha.
"A picture has been painted that people of one ideology are nationalists and others are anti-national," said Sharma, deputy leader of the opposition in the upper house of parliament.
"This government has allowed the rule of law in the national capital to collapse by encouraging, sponsoring and supporting violence and unlawful activities and attack on citizens even in the court complex and outside on media persons, teachers and litigants," he said.
"A legislator belonging to the ruling party (BJP) attacked people inside and outside the court, assisted by other people. It took days and days for the Delhi Police to make a cosmetic arrest," Sharma said.
"And then, we have lawyers - if they are (indeed) lawyers - coming to the Patiala House and attacking people. No action was taken," he added.
Communist Party of India leader D. Raja also questioned how the government could justify an attack on the common people.
"You have arrested (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president) Kanhaiya Kumar. What is the justification for violence in the court premises? Who are the people? Is the home ministry and Delhi Police so weak that it is not able to find out the culprits?" Raja said.
