The Congress on Monday took strong objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the Delhi riots, arguing that lack of commitment to stop the instigators signalled complicity.

While most Congress MPs talked about the administration’s inaction in curbing the violence without losing time, the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury, said: “The government’s attitude is reflected in the continuing rallies with the nasty slogan ‘Desh ke gaddaron ko/Goli maaro… (Shoot the traitors)’. Even now this slogan is continuing because the government refused to take firm action.”

Chowdhury asked: “Whom do they want to shoot? This slogan has reached Calcutta. Who is responsible for this? Somebody must take responsibility for the heinous violence that left around 45 dead and hundreds injured. We think home minister Amit Shah’s conduct was irresponsible. When Delhi was burning, he was in Ahmedabad. Should we not ask questions from the blind, insensitive government?”

Chants of “goli maaro” were heard in Calcutta on Sunday, on a day Shah addressed a public meeting in the city.

“Are we only expected to hear stories of 56 inch and keep silent when so many people died? The Prime Minister’s silence is baffling,” Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said.

Another MP, Manish Tewari, said: “What happened in Delhi is painful. We want to debate this in Parliament. Should there be no accountability in politics? Whose responsibility is it to maintain law and order in the national capital? Shouldn’t responsibility be fixed?”

Rajya Sabha leader Ghulam Nabi Azad countered the government’s claim that law and order was a state subject, pointing out that Delhi police fell under the Union home ministry.

“Rioting continued for three days, day and night, but no statement came from the government. No central minister went to meet the victims; nobody made a statement, no condolences,” Azad said.

“Because the government was sleeping, the police remained a mute spectator,” Azad added. “You get shocked when you see the video footage, wondering whether any administration can behave like this. Rioting continued unabated as the government refused to intervene and police watched from the sidelines. Even the Delhi government wasn’t interested in making any intervention. They were watching the tamasha.”

Azad made another serious allegation. “Kendra sarkar chahti thi — Jitne mare, marne do. Jo jalta hai, jalne do (The Centre thought, people are dying, let them die. Whatever has been set on fire, let it burn). No attempt was made to even send fire-tenders. At several places, the police didn’t allow fire-tenders to move in. The police refused to give security to firemen. The provocative statements continued by the ruling party members in the meantime. This means the central government and the ruling party were behind these riots. There is no manifestation at all of the government’s concern to stop the violence.”

The Congress veteran insisted that all work in both Houses of Parliament should have been suspended to discuss this matter. “Nothing can be more serious than this — riots of this scale in Delhi. Every aspect has to be discussed.”

Although both Houses were disrupted, some party members felt that the Opposition wasn’t aggressive enough and the level of intensity needed to be enhanced. “If this is allowed to pass, the nation will lose faith in the political processes; accountability must be fixed for the death and destruction. And the Opposition has to force it come what may,” a Congress Rajya Sabha member said.

Most Opposition members were aghast that there were no formal condolences expressed by either House. Although they did not want to comment on the conduct of the presiding officers, they privately pointed out that even the Chair had read out condolences for much smaller incidents that happened across the world in the past few years.

The members felt that the attitude of the government, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu was insensitive.

As Parliament reopened for the budget session on Monday, Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi held a demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, shouting slogans against the government. While the main demand was Shah’s resignation as home minister, they also insisted on a formal statement from the Prime Minister.

“Pradhan Mantri Jawab do,” read some placards.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi went a step further, predicting similar trouble in states headed for elections. “The post-Delhi poll violence is also a precursor to the coming Bihar and UP elections. Those power hungry at the Centre want to create an atmosphere of fear & loathing for electoral benefits. It’s up to the people to stay united in the face of such hate,” he tweeted.

Singhvi dipped into history to recall an episode from the Nehru era: “As Delhi burns, remember how another Prime Minister reacted to religious violence. From ‘Time’ archives: ‘During the communal riots in Delhi, a Moslem restaurateur saw a fellow Moslem slaughtered in front of the shop. He went to the phone and got Nehru directly. ‘Wait ten minutes’, cried the Prime Minister. ‘I will be right down.’ In ten minutes, Nehru was on the scene with truck full of police. From the middle of the street, bent over a map of the district, he directed cleanup of looters.”