Earlier, Thakor appealed to his community and members of his outfit to maintain peace, saying non-Gujaratis are also our "brothers".
Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor on Sunday took to reassure people following reports of several migrant workers leaving Gujarat due to mob violence and protests in connection to the alleged rape case of a 14-year-old last week.
“This is unfortunate, we have never advocated violence and only talked peace. All Indians are safe in Gujarat,” said the legislator from Radhanpur, who also heads the Kshatriya Thakor Sena that has been accused of instigating the mob attacks.
Earlier, Thakor appealed to his community and members of his outfit to maintain peace, saying non-Gujaratis are also our "brothers".
He claimed that never asked the Kshatriya Thakor Sena to engage in violence or attack non-Gujaratis.
Last week, on September 28, a 14-month-old toddler was allegedly raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. The victim belonged to the Thakor community.
Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, was later arrested for the rape by police.
Following the arrest, the Kshatriya Thakor Sena said migrant workers from other states should not be given jobs in Gujarat. A 200-strong mob, allegedly led by Thakor Sena members, stormed a factory near Vadnagar town of Mehsana district on October 2 and thrashed employees.
Similar incidents took place in Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Patan and Ahmedabad districts in the last one week, said Director General of Police Shivanand Jha.
Thakor had reportedly raked up the issue of non-Gujaratis while demanding "justice" for the rape survivor a week back. He had then said locals should be given preference in jobs in industries in Gujarat.
"Non-Gujaratis are not on our target. I have called a meeting of all the office-bearers of the Thakor Sena to discuss this issue. "Non-Gujaratis are our brothers and protecting them is also our responsibility. I will ask the Thakor Sena to stop such attacks," Thakor told reporters.
Nitish speaks to Rupani
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Monday he has spoken to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani and expressed concern over attacks in the western state on non-Gujarati people, including those from Bihar. Condemning the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl, which triggered the violent attacks, Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be "tarred with the same brush".
"Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters here.
"If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state," he said.
Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been targeted by locals following the alleged rape of the girl by a native of Bihar, in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28.
The attacks intensified following the circulation of hate messages on social media. Police have arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat for allegedly attacking non-Gujaratis.
Meanwhile, a JD(U) leader in a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blamed the grand old party for the violence against Biharis.
"You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged.
He also took potshots at the Congress alliance with the RJD, saying the Rashtriya Janata Dal is "headed by a convicted person (Lalu Prasad) whose son (Tejashwi Yadav) is also facing corruption charges".
Reacting to the JD(U) MLC's charge, Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said instead of writing a letter to Gandhi, Neeraj Kumar should speak to his boss Nitish Kumar who is running a government in alliance with the BJP which rules Gujarat.
Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav expressed strong resentment over the humiliation Biharis have to face everywhere in the country, Gujarat being only the latest instance.
He asked the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi to intervene and ensure that attacks on Biharis in Gujarat are stopped.
"If that does not happen, we will ensure that no Gujarati is able to enter Bihar for any purpose whatsoever," Yadav, who has been known for using strong arm tactics in his three-decade-long political career, said.
With PTI Inputs
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