Amid ’Intolerance’ Debate, BJP Warns Lawmakers Against Speaking Out of Turn

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 01, 2015:  In the middle of a fiery debate in Parliament on perceived "intolerance" in the country, the ruling BJP today warned its lawmakers against speaking out of turn and diverting attention from the government’s development agenda.

 

At a meeting this morning attended by BJP chief Amit Shah, BJP lawmakers were "told not to make provocative statements as they divert attention from PM Modi’s development agenda," said union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
   
Sources say union minister Venkaiah Naidu asked lawmakers not to make provocative statements and fall into the opposition’s "trap".
   
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned this morning from the Paris Climate Summit, is expected to reply to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Constitution, which has seen sparring between the government and the opposition.
   
Yesterday, Mr Naidu conceded in the Rajya Sabha that there was "some intolerance in society" that needed to be identified and dealt with firmly. "Instead of that, we are making it generalized," he said.
   
In the Lok Sabha, on day two of the "intolerance" debate, the opposition’s offensive is likely to feature Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
   
There were repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha yesterday after Left parliamentarian Mohd Salim accused the Home Minister of saying, after Narendra Modi and BJP’s election victory last year, that India had the first "Hindu ruler after 800 years."
   
Rajnath Singh denied the quote attributed to him by the newsmagazine Outlook and demanded an apology. "I have never been hurt as much as I have been today in my entire Parliamentary career," he said.
   
After repeated disruptions, the debate resumed when Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said Mr Salim’s remarks would be deleted from the records. The Outlook magazine later apologised saying the quote had been
"erroneously attributed" to the Home Minister when in fact, it was said by Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal, who died last month.
   
Incidents like the killing of rationalists, mob attacks over cow slaughter and beef-eating rumours and controversial pronouncements by members of the BJP or groups linked to it have been held up by opposition parties as examples of growing intolerance under the current regime. A number of writers, artistes and filmmakers have returned their national awards to protest against what they believe is PM Modi’s inadequate response to these incidents.
   
The BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi, countering opposition charges, said: "This entire atmosphere is being created to malign the image of a democratically elected government, and that is why I call them intellectual mercenaries."

 

Courtesy: NDTV