The debate on intolerance in the lok Sabha on Monday generated heat from the word go as the initiator of the debate, CPI(M) member Mohd Salim, accused Home Minister Rajnath Singh of making some controversial comments, which were denied by Rajnath and expunged by the Speaker, but not before four adjournments.
The comments of Salim, which were published in a magazine, forced the deadlock and led to repeated adjournment as members of the Treasury benches sough the apology of the CPI(M) leader, who stood his ground and contended he was merely quoting a report in the news magazine
Rajnath vehemently denied it and said he was never hurt so much in his Parliamentary career as he was today.
“Mohd Salim levelled a serious allegation against me. He should say when and where I made such a statement or apologise.... A Home Minister who makes such a statement has no moral right to be the Home Minister. I speak after weighing every word... People know Rajnath Singh can never make such a statement,” Singh said.
When some BJP members questioned whether he was present when such a reported comment was made, the CPI(M) member said, “I don't have such misfortune to attend RSS meeting.”
Salim insisted that he was not levelling any allegation nor wanted to cast any aspersion on the Home Minister but was only quoting from a reputed weekly. He said neither the Home Minister nor the Government has ever denied the report.
At the same time, Salim acknowledged that it was the Home Minister who was among the first from the Government to speak against Dadri lynching incident.
B Mahtab (BJD) sided with the treasury benches and quoted the Rule book to say that an allegation against a Minister or member cannot be made without giving prior notice.
The logjam was resolved at 4 pm after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expunged the remarks related to the allegations.
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, Dalit and rationalists,” alleged the CPI(M) member who had given notice for a debate on the subject.
Making religion as 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 has become order of the day, he said.
“It is not Satyameya Jayate but Asatyameya Jayete...It is not Ashimsa Parmo Dharma but Himsha Parmo Dharma,” he alleged. The remark of Gen VK Singh over the Dalit killing in Haryana was also raised by Salim.
After the discussion was resumed, the opposition parties like the CPI(M) and the Congress attacked the Government, alleging that intolerance had increased since the NDA Government came to power. The ruling side accused them of “twisting facts” and deliberately sowing seeds of dissent and division in the country to suit their political designs.
Ina hard-hitting response, BJP member Meenakshi lekhi said that incidents, which were being projected by the Opposition as examples of 'intolerance', had been taking place in the country for decades. As against Opposition's charge that the Prime Minister mostly remained silent over 'intolerance', lekhi quoted him as asking Hindus-Muslims to not to fight each other but 'fight poverty '.
In a scathing attack on the Congress as also on the left parties over the beef controversy, the BJP member described their stand as double-faced and asked them to write to 21 State Governments which have banned cow slaughter, “if they want” the constitutional ban on cow slaughter to be lifted.
She said anti-cow slaughter law was in force in Jammu & Kashmir since 1932. Reading from the Constitution and its directive principles, lekhi said the Opposition should know that away from all manufactured controversies, the country will have to be governed by the Constitution only.
She cited Home Ministry figures to insist that incidents of communal violence had come down since NDA came to power.
About the recent incident at Kerala House where police entered the premises following a complaint that its canteen served beef, lekhi said if the police had not acted, then “Dadri-like incident could have happened (there)”. Beef was mentioned in the menu of Kerala house, she said. Her remarks elicited protests from MPs from Kerala in the House.
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 the relations between communities.
Congress member KC Venugopal said it is only in the last 15-16 months that the chain of the events has led to “destruction of secular fabric” of the country.
He raised the Dadri issue, killing of Dalit in Haryana, unbridled comments by various Ministers on intolerance.
“No mature remark from the Prime Minister came even after series of incidents of intolerance,” Venugopal said, adding the Government maintained unfortunate silence.
He observed, “We must differentiate between tolerant Hinduism and intolerant Hindustava.”