Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday called the Congress the "modern-day Muslim League" and accused it of committing atrocities against Hindus after he and his party leaders were stopped from visiting violence-hit Karauli in Rajasthan.
Surya, BJP's Rajasthan chief Satish Poonia and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workers were stopped near Mahua on the Jaipur-Agra highway, with the authorities citing law and order issues.
They were asked to get into a bus and taken away from the spot but they kept demanding that they be allowed to meet victims of the April 2 violence, which broke out after a bike rally being carried out to mark Hindu new year was pelted with stones.
Over 30 people were injured in the violence.
Surya, who is also the chief of the BYJM, the BJP's youth wing, later said at a press conference that they oppose the "appeasement policy" of the ruling Congress in Rajasthan.
He said, "This is Rajasthan and not Afghanistan. The state government should stop giving second grade treatment to Hindus. I condemn the anti-Hindu and anti-India policy of the state."
Today's Congress is the "modern-day Muslim League," he said.
"The way Indian Muslim League was dividing Hindus and committing atrocities against them, today Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot are continuing the same tradition," Surya alleged.
Surya said law and order has completely collapsed in Rajasthan and there is a jungle raj prevailing in the state.
"The atrocities against Hindus in the state are increasing. Here, victims are prosecuted and the guilty are set free," he alleged.
Earlier in the day, BJYM workers took out a "Nyay Rally" to meet victims of the violence in Karauli. They were stopped near Mahua on the Jaipur-Agra highway while on their way to Karauli.
As the protesters kept demanding that they be allowed to meet the victims and raised anti-government slogans, the police told them to get into a bus and were taken away from the spot.
Karauli SP Shailendra said the protesters were not arrested.
Heavy police force was deployed along the Karauli-Dausa border.
According to police, due to a curfew in Karauli, BJP leaders were stopped from going there.
When Surya reached the Karauli border along with BJYM workers, the police put up barricades and stopped them.
Surya and other leaders then sat on a dharna at the border.
Surya said, "The whole state wants to see the truth of what happened in Karauli. We want to go to Karauli peacefully. The Yuva Morcha wants to go peacefully so why are they stopping us."
