Agartala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi must react over "growing intolerance" in India since after the NDA government came to power, National Commission for the Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairman P.L. Punia said here on Friday.

"After the BJP-led NDA government came into power at the Centre, intolerance erupted in a large way. The prime minister remained silent on the grave issue," Punia told reporters.

"In various parts of the country, many incidents of intolerance and violence against the weaker sections of people happened, but Modi remained silent," he added.

A team of the NCSC led by Petunia came to Tripura on Thursday on a three-day visit to study the state government's programme and schemes for the Scheduled Castes people.

The NCSC chief said writers, scientists, poets, artists, performers and intellectuals were returning their awards against the "growing intolerance".

"The BJP people accused the agitating intellectuals as the Congress people, this is just unjustified. Modi must open his mouth against the serious situations of intolerance in India," Punia said.

"Such incidents of intolerance never happened in India before. Such occurrence of intolerance never happened during the rule of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee," he said.

Meanwhile, writers, authors, poets, artists and performers on Friday organised a rally in Agartala against the alleged growing intolerance in the country and killing of bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh.

(Photo courtesy: www.apherald.com)