Won’t spare those who disturb peace: Rajnath Singh

Home minister’s reply came after speeches by an array of MPs on the subject

New Delhi:

Dismissing the recent protests across the country against various incidents of intolerance, home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday countered that a “farcical” atmosphere was being created to project a wrong image of the nation before the world, and assured the Lok Sabha that anybody who tried to disturb the amity and integrity of the country “would not be spared”.

Replying to the two-day debate in the Lok Sabha over “intolerance”, Mr Singh, in his 40-minute speech, said India was a most tolerant nation and urged intellectuals and artistes who had returned their national awards in protest against incidents of intolerance to take them back.

The home minister’s reply came after speeches by an array of MPs on the subject, including by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who attacked the government on the issue, urging it not to learn the “wrong lessons” from Pakistan and pleading that should listen to those who had been “disturbed” over the recent incidents.

Mr Singh, replying to the debate, said the government was open to a CBI probe into the Dadri lynching and the murder of Karnataka scholar M.M. Kalburgi. The home minister invited all protesting scholars and intellectuals for a discussion and assured them that the government will welcome any suggestion from them.

Mr Singh’s reply was constantly obstructed by the Opposition benches, which claimed the home minister was not referring to controversial remarks made by some Central ministers. Most of the Opposition MPs, mainly from the Congress, Trinamul Congress, CPM, RJD, JD(U) and NCP, later walked out of the House, leaving only the SP, TRS and AIADMK MPs in the House as the home minister spoke.

“On behalf of the PM I want to assure that anybody who disturbs the amity of the nation will not be spared,” said Mr Singh. The minister said though the issue of intolerance was serious, it could also be self-destructive. By constantly highlighting some “fake protests” in the name of intolerance, the country’s image abroad cannot be smudged, he added.

This will deter global investors from investing in India, Mr Singh said, adding allegations of growing intolerance had affected Prime Minister Narendra Modi the most, who has been a victim of "opportunistic protests" against "intolerance".