File photo of Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
In the backdrop of Dadri lynching case, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said the Centre cannot be blamed for "local happenings" and stressed that people especially the younger generation are more interested in development and not in such incidents.
The minister also added that while several "local developments" were unfortunate and even condemnable but the local situation also has to be looked into before coming to any conclusion.
"People want development. They are not interested in other things, I am telling you. People are getting sickened.... What has happened in Dadri, who is right, who is wrong, is not an issue for the people.
Whose government it is? Is it the local government? Law and order is a state government matter. These are explanations one has to give but people are not interested," Mr Naidu said.
The urban development minister said that the younger generation wanted development, good jobs, better healthcare facilities, social security and spoke about government's schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana to emphasize on Modi government's commitment to these goals.
"Other things are happening here and there. They are not because of central government. They are not because of the Prime Minister.
They are local happenings. They are unfortunate. Some of them are condemnable also. But at the same time you have to understand the sensitivities, the local situation, then come to conclusions," Mr Naidu said.
His comments come at a time when there is a massive political slugfest on after a Muslim man Mohammed Akhlaq was killed by a mob in Dadri over rumour of eating beef.
Mr Naidu, who was speaking at an event organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) where the ambitious Smart City project was discussed, also stressed that people's participation is vital and this is why role of industry is also crucial.
"Without people's participation you cannot make anything successful. And what is industry? You are private people. You are ready to do business with Pakistan, and you are not ready to do business with your own Indian industrialists," he said slamming those critical of the government.
Mr Naidu sought to know if people criticising the government as "pro-industry" were "anti-industry".
Mr Naidu said the government is in the process of accelerating reforms and a number of crucial bills including GST, Negotiable Instruments, Land Bill which are vital for the country are in Parliament.
Real Estate Bill may also come up in the next session, he said.