Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hits out at Opposition, says some 'professional provokers' rubbing salt in wounds of Delhi riots' victims

New Delhi: Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said some political parties and “professional provokers” were rubbing salt into the wounds of those affected by the communal riots, but harmony will prevail. Provokers and perpetrators will be in prison and peace and harmony will prevail, the senior BJP leader said, adding that this should be “our commitment and the confidence”. Instead of healing the wounds of the victims of the violence, some political parties and “professional provokers” are rubbing salt into their wounds, Naqvi told reporters here. [caption id=“attachment_4369201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. PTI[/caption] The “secular ride” on the unfortunate communal riots should be stopped, Naqvi said. “It is our collective responsibility to ensure the victims get justice and perpetrators are punished heavily and peace and harmony is restored,” the minister said. The death toll in Delhi’s communal violence rose to 42 on Friday as the situation showed some signs of returning to normalcy and clouds of smoke cleared to reveal the extent of the damage from the worst riots in the city in over three decades. “When we heard reports of violence and anarchy, at the same time we have witnessed several examples of harmony and brotherhood. This is the strength of ‘unity in diversity’ of my India,” Naqvi said. He said the unity and harmony is the soul of a secular and democratic India. “We should not allow the soul and strength of India to weaken under any circumstances,” he said. Any kind of violence not only inflicts injuries to a human but also the entire humanity and it also hurts the soul of India, he said. “It is the national duty of all of us to ensure that the fabric of harmony and unity doesn’t get weaken under any circumstances,” Naqvi said.