PM Should Address Rising Communal Tension: Ashok Gehlot On Udaipur Killing

Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan where the murder of a tailor in Udaipur has unleashed tension and unrest, today suggested that the Prime Minister should address the people immediately on the issue of communal violence that has spiked in the country following former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's comments on Prophet Mohammed.  

"Communalism has increased in the country after Nupur Sharma's statement. Violence is happening. The Prime Minister should talk to the country and ask people to exercise restraint," Mr Gehlot told NDTV in an exclusive interview shortly after speaking to the family of Kanhaiya Lal, who was brutally murdered in an ISIS-style attack earlier this week.The assailants, who filmed the attack, bragged about it and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi in another video, have been arrested. The police said they have links with Pakistani terror groups and were influenced by ISIS.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "spoken on the incident of lynching, so it has had an effect," Mr Gehlot said. PM Modi "should speak to every Chief Minister to take immediate action on communal incidents," he added.