Amid the ongoing debate on chanting Bharat Mata ki Jai, Union minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla on Tuesday pitched for “development talk” over sloganeering while noting that such political spee
Amid the ongoing debate on chanting Bharat Mata ki Jai, Union minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla on Tuesday pitched for “development talk” over sloganeering while noting that such political speeches were responsible for things going “wrong” in the country earlier. Her remarks came in the wake of controversies created by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s statements over the slogan. Ms Heptulla also dismissed suggestions that a fear psychosis prevails among the minorities in the country at present.
Reacting to the same controversy, parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that it is an emotive issue and asserted that while no one can be forced to say it, people should not disrespect it. He also informed that Parliament will convene as per the earlier schedule for the second half of the Budget Session on April 25. Mr Naidu was interacting with women journalists. The Budget Session was prorogued to enable expenditure after April 1 in Centrally-ruled Uttarakhand from the Consolidated Fund of India. The first half of the Budget Session began on February 23 and went into a 40-day recess on March 16.
When asked about recent statements by the Maharashtra CM, Baba Ramdev and RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Mr Naidu said he is “not in agreement” with them and the government has not authorised them.
While Mr Fadnavis had said that people not saying Bharat Mata Ki Jai should leave India, Baba Ramdev had said had it not been for the law of the land, he would have “beheaded” those who refuse to chant the slogan.
Earlier, while speaking to the media on the sidelines of a national conference of ministers and secretaries of minority affairs in states and Union Territories, Ms Heptulla said, “You don’t give any reaction on such issues, talk only about development. You have to give bread and butter, train children, have to move forward... Things went wrong in our country (earlier) because of such political speeches, which were deviating from development.”
We don’t want to talk about slogans, but development.”
The Union minister said that such controversies are created in order to “divert” focus of the NDA government from its developmental works.
To a question that controversial remarks over the slogan were also made by some ruling party leaders, Ms Heptulla said, “Let people say what they want” as she insisted on “discussion over developmental talk” only. She also stressed that she wants to “act and not react as it is her responsibility now that she is in power”.
