Former Union Minister and senior journalist Arun Shourie on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of keeping silent on issues like Dadri lynching to win the Bihar elections.
Shourie further said that Modi's silence is political, because he remains silent even when the ministers in his government are pitting one community against other in Bihar. He also rejected BJP leaders' statements in defence of Modi that the prime minister cannot be expected to speak on every issue.
"Prime Minister is not a section officer of the homoeopathy department. He is not head of a department. He is the Prime Minister. He has to show the country the moral path. He has to set moral standards," he said in an interview with India Today channel, according to The Indian Express.
"He kept silent on the Dadri incident and incidents like the killing of two Dalit children (in Haryana)... He is keeping silent while his party colleagues and ministers are keeping the issues alive," he added.
Shourie further commented on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's remark that Modi is the worst victim of intolerance. "When a ruler believes or he is made to believe that he is a victim then in his mind he gets the fullest justification for vengeance. It is terrible. It will give him grounds to be vengeful."
Shourie also extended his support to the writers, artists and filmmakers, who have returned their awards in protest of the "rising intolerance" in the society. He said that they are the "conscience-keepers" of the country and their intentions cannot be questioned, PTI reported.
He also questioned Jaitley's remarks against those returning awards. Jaitley had called writers and artists "rabid anti-BJP elements" and dubbed their move to return awards as "manufactured rebellion".
Shourie said that the people who are questioning the intentions of these writers and artists haven't read a book in the last 20 years. "Those who cannot write two paragraphs are sitting in judgement over writers."
