Amid the uproar during the debate on “intolerance” in the Lok Sabha, CPI(M) member Mohammad Salim walked to the Lok Sabha secretary-general and authenticated the news magazine article on the basis of
Amid the uproar during the debate on “intolerance” in the Lok Sabha, CPI(M) member Mohammad Salim walked to the Lok Sabha secretary-general and authenticated the news magazine article on the basis of which he had made the comments against Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The Speaker then adjourned the House for an hour amid verbal clashes. However, when the Lok Sabha reassembled after the adjournment, Mr Salim refused to yield to the Treasury benches’ request to take back his comments or apologise, due to which the House had to be adjourned three more times.
The logjam was resolved later in the evening when the Speaker expunged the remarks made by Mr Salim against the home minister.
This paved the way for the resumption of the debate during which Opposition parties like the CPI(M) and Congress attacked the government, alleging that intolerance had increased since the NDA government came to power.
The BJP hit back by saying that the incidents being projected by the Opposition as examples of “intolerance” had been taking place in the country for decades. BJP member Meenakshi Lekhi also cited home ministry figures to insist that incidents of communal violence had come down since the NDA came to power.
As the debate resumed, Mr Salim alleged that “intolerance” was on the rise and the government had failed to check this. To press his point, he referred to returning of awards by writers, artist, film-makers, etc.
“In the name of religion, atrocities are being committed and the government is keeping silent instead of taking strong action against killing of minorities, dalits and rationalists,” alleged the CPI(M) member. Without naming the Prime Minister, he said that no tweets were forthcoming on such incidents, and that instead of talking the government should also develop the habit of listening to voices of reason.
Referring to the Dadri lynching incident, Mr Salim said the government should think of ways to counter malnutrition and not worry about what is cooking in somebody’s kitchen, drawing applause from the Opposition benches. Making religion a shield against injustice is not a sustainable proposition, he said. A series of incidents is a reflection of the fact that there is some problem in “fundamental thinking” and untruth and violence have become the order of the day, he noted. “It is not Satyameva Jayate but Asatyameva Jayate... It is not Ahimsa Parmo Dharma but Himsa Parmo Dharma,” he alleged.
The “dog” remark of Gen. V.K. Singh over the killing of dalits in Haryana was also raised by Mr Salim.
Participating in the discussion, Congress member K.C. Venugopal said it is only in the last 15-16 months that the chain of events has led to the “destruction of the secular fabric” of the country.
He raised the Dadri issue, killing of a dalit in Haryana, and unbridled comments by various ministers on intolerance.
Ms Lekhi described the artistes, filmmakers, writers and “so-called intellectuals” as “intellectual mercenaries” and said such people are not concerned about how they are tarnishing the country’s image and relations between communities. “A lot of people are worried about the atmosphere of alleged intolerance being created and those who are returning their awards are returning the rewards for political considerations,” the BJP member said. Attacking the Congress, she said the party had been creating a fear psychosis among the minorities by following the “divide and rule” policy of the British and pitting Muslims against Hindus. She also brought up the Shah Bano case controversy to target the Congress.
She said there is intolerance towards the elected NDA government and a perception of “intolerance” is being created just for a political agenda. Referring to the Dadri incident, Ms Lekhi wondered whether responsibility for such a thing should be on the state (UP) government or the Centre.
About the recent incident at Kerala House when the police entered the premises following a complaint that its canteen served beef, Ms Lekhi said if the police had not acted, then a “Dadri-like incident could have happened (there)”. Her remarks elicited protests from Kerala’s members in the House. Answering critics’ questions on why the Delhi police entered the Kerala House premises, the lawyer-turned-politician asserted that it was not a diplomatic premises which the police cannot enter. She said beef was mentioned on the canteen menu but whether it was cow meat or not can be ascertained only after forensic analysis.
Mr Mehtab of the BJD, while taking part in the debate, said those in power should speak out against alleged instances of intolerance and that their silence has created a “culture of impunity”.
“If you don’t want to remove them from positions, then at least rebuke them in public,” the BJD leader said, indicating that the government should act against those in government or ruling party making irresponsible comments. Political correctness and social etiquette keep intolerance in check, he added.
While emphasising that deep-lying fault lines in the country’s social fabric should be corrected, he said a communal harmony commission could be set up to address communal violence issues.
