The communal violence in Karauli, Rajasthan, which took place on April 2, has opened a new battleground between the ruling Congress and the BJP in the state. On Friday, BJP leaders from Rajasthan briefed the media in New Delhi.

“It was a peaceful procession which was attacked by people from a community and the police were mere spectators,” Rajyavardhan Rathor, BJP spokesperson told media persons.

BJP Rajasthan president Satish Poonia accused the Ashok Gehlot government of running a Taliban-style government. “Everywhere the processions of Hindus are being denied permission. In Karauli, they were attacked. The state government is doing appeasement politics and running a government like the Taliban.”

Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara told mediapersons in Jaipur: “The Congress always moves forward taking along all the 36 communities and we are against dividing society. BJP’s politics is to divide the people of this country.”

Senior Congress leader Avinash Pande said in Jaipur “the entire country is feeling the heat of price rise and Congress leaders are protesting against this throughout the country. To divert attention, the BJP is raising issues which have nothing to do with people and development.”

Twenty-three people have been arrested so far out of 44 identified for the violence, the state’s top police officer said on Friday. The city has been under curfew since April 2, when “a bike rally passing through a Muslim-dominated area was pelted with stones after being provoked by some incendiary remarks made by the rallygoers”. A three-hour relaxation in the curfew has been allowed every day. “So far 23 miscreants have been arrested in connection with the incident that happened during the bike rally being taken out on April 2 on the occasion of Nav Samvatsar in Karauli,” DGP ML Lather said.