Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a press conference along with Anurag Thakur and other BJP leaders.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur, questioned about his "Goli Maaro" speech coming up in a court hearing on the Delhi violence, was saved from a reply by his senior, Nirmala Sitharaman.
During a press conference by the Finance Minister and her team on Wednesday, a reporter asked a question about the Delhi High Court's sharp remarks on hate speeches by four BJP leaders, including Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance.
Nirmala Sitharaman firmly shut down the question. "No reaction here. No... I am here to address that question please. No reaction. Today's meeting is purely concentrating on what we have done with the bankers," the Finance Minister interjected, as Anurag Thakur remained silent by her side.
At a hearing on Wednesday, the High Court had questioned the Delhi Police why no First Information Report (FIR) had been filed against Anurag Thakur and three other BJP leaders, Parvesh Verma, Abhay Verma and Kapil Mishra, for their hate speeches.
Anurag Thakur, during the campaign for the Delhi election earlier this month, was filmed encouraging chants of "Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaron saa*** ko (shoot the traitors)" at a rally for a BJP candidate.
The videos of the hate speeches were played in the courtroom.
The High Court said it would take up each and every clip where anyone had incited violence in Delhi and would not let a repeat of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots happen. "This city has seen more than enough violence. No more," said the judges.
"We want peace to prevail. We do not want the city to witness another 1984 riots. This city has seen enough violence and anguish. Let it not repeat 1984," they said.
The court directed the Delhi Police to examine the videos and take a decision on action, asking the police chief to "seriously consider the consequences" of not registering the FIRs.