Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Sunder Singh Bhandari, who was the Governor of Gujarat during the Godhra riots, on Thursday accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi of taking the violence 'lightly'.

Critical of then BJP-led Central government, Bhandari claimed the Modi's removal would have prevented the situation from deteriorating.

"The riots were taken lightly and this left deep wounds which need to be healed. People would continue to remember Godhra in the same ways they recall the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi which took place 50 years ago," he told Hindi magazine Outlook Saptahik.

The riots continued for two days only because the Centre was late in taking any action, he added.

If action had taken on the first day, it would have been better, Bhandari said.

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Gujarat riots: The complete coverage