Vote bank politics responsible for communal tensions: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Holding that vote bank politics was a major factor for communal frenzy, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said one group or organisation should not be made a scapegoat and held responsible for such instances.

He also expressed his concern over the spread of cyber terrorism and crimes through social media platforms and advocated for an effective law to check the menace.

"Our view is that justice is for everybody, opportunities are for everyone and refusal to no one. Our vision is clear. We believe that the immediate frenzy of communalism has a root in vote bank politics.

"The solution to this problem cannot be found by blaming a particular organisation or group and making it a scapegoat for the failure of others," Chouhan said in his speech at the meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC).

The Chief Minister said officials present on ground should be given a "free hand" to work and should be kept insulated from any political interference.

Making an apparent reference to former state Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, Chouhan said contrary to the statements, there has been no major incident of riots in the last decade in BJP-ruled states.

"If you see the facts of these glib talkings you will see that these states (BJP ruled) do not nurture religion as vote bank...These states have been free of communal riots in the last decade because they do not indulge in politics of separation and neither the administration has been compelled to take sides of any particular religious community," he said.