New Delhi, March 3 (IANS): The Congress criticised the government for not allowing debate on Delhi riots and said it was running away from the discussion and giving strange reasons for it.

"It's strange. The government said it will discuss the Delhi situation once things normalised," said a Congress leader here on Tuesday.

"This is a fake, manufactured and spurious reason to escape the discussion. A few regional parties also agreed to it. Are parliamentarians so irresponsible that they will aggravate the matter and not help with solutions," said a Congress leader.

Earlier, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government was ready for debate on the Delhi violence on March 11, a day after Holi. "It should be our common effort to ensure amity, understanding and peace in Delhi. Peace has returned, normalcy is returning," he said.

The government's priority, he said was to ensure that Holi was "celebrated" in an atmosphere of "brotherhood".

The Congress also attacked the Prime Minister for being silent on rising unemployment. "The Prime Minister chooses to remain silent on the highest unemployment recorded, as per data released on Tuesday," said senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.