Delhi violence: ‘Capital is burning’, said Sharad Pawar slamming the govt

India's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to divide the society by whipping up communal tensions.

 The NCP chief also said the national capital was "burning", in an apparent reference to the communal riots that took at least 42 lives in three days - between February 23 to 25, reports Hindustan Times.

The second part of the budget session will begin from Monday, and NCP's ally, the Congress party has already declared its intentions to corner the Central government ruled by the BJP-led coalition over the riots.

Delhi police's handling of the riots has been criticized in various quarters with critics also questioning if the Centre's response was inadequate.

"The national capital has been burning since the last few days. The ruling party at the Centre could not win the Delhi Assembly polls and tried to divide the society by promoting communalism," ANI quoted the senior Maratha leader as saying.

Several BJP leaders are under fire for alleged hate speeches during Delhi assembly elections and also for provocation in the lead-up to the violence.

The Congress has said it will demand home minister Amit Shah's resignation over Delhi violence. The party was likely to demand a debate on the issue in both houses of the Parliament, said a senior leader.

"The government has miserably failed to maintain law and order. I think there must be some sort of a nexus between the rioters and a section of police officials which resulted in gruesome killings and arson," Congress party's leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told the Press Trust of India.

Mamata Bannerjee's Trinamool Congress also raised questions on home ministry's alleged failure to prevent loss of dozens of lives in the national capital.

Apart from 42 confirmed deaths, more than 450 people have been injured in the rioting and the police had registered 203 cases till Saturday evening.

Two special investigation teams (SITs) have been formed to probe the violence. 39 people have been arrested and 39 firearms seized in raids across Dehi and adjoining states. Police said it was identifying the culprits with the help of video clips of violence.

The violence took place in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi also resulting in a huge loss to property with houses, shops and vehicles set ablaze by the mob.