PTI
New Delhi, March 17
Heated exchanges were witnessed in Lok Sabha today between Opposition and Treasury benches over the "rising number" of communal incidents, as Congress and TMC members accused the BJP of creating an atmosphere of "religious intolerance" despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance to minorities. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu led the charge for the government accusing Congress of playing "communal politics" as he urged members to let state governments deal with law and order issues and not trade charges in Parliament.
"We do not practice communal politics" and his government's slogan was "development for all, appeasement for none," Naidu said.
His comments came when the House witnessed a row over a series of "communal incidents" like the recent vandalisation of a church in Haryana, rape of a septuagenarian nun in West Bengal and controversial statement made by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Assam, with members from both sides resorting to heated exchange of words.
Referring to Swamy's reported comment that mosques are not a religious place and could be demolished, Naidu said "we fully disagree with such statements" and wondered whether all such "individual issues" should be raised in the House.
Congress and TMC, who were together in attacking the BJP, also traded charges against each other over the response of Mamata Banerjee government on the nun gangrape incident with Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Cong) alleging that the main accused have not yet been arrested despite being caught on camera.
As TMC members protested, S S Ahluwalia (BJP) also attacked the ruling party in West Bengal, prompting TMC leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Saugata Roy (TMC) to retort that such incidents were happening due to communal tensions created by the BJP.
With Congress and TMC members continuing to attack the government, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had to rise again and again to restore order and was seen angrily telling Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to stop his party members from creating din even as she allowed Gaurav Gogoi (Cong) to speak on the matter.
The unrelenting Congress members then trooped into the Well demanding a detailed statement from the government and questioning why such incidents continued to recur despite Modi's assurance to minorities. Congress later walked out in protest.
Attacks on Christians generate fear psychosis: NPCC
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) while strongly condemning the attacks on Christians has said that the incidents have generated fear psychosis among the minority community.
The NPCC in a statement said the attacks on Christians and vandalizing of churches across the country have ‘generated enough fear psychosis among the minority community.’ The hate speeches and provocations by the RSS and its affiliates of fringe elements against the religious minorities serves enough indication about pre-meditated plan to selectively target the most peace loving minority community in the country, the NPCC statement said. “The state BJP which had repeatedly defended the agenda of their communal masters to the extent of even advising the Christian community to desist from carrying out their mission activities now stands exposed before the people,” it stated.
Pleading with its central leadership to protect and preserve secularism is mere eyewash to hoodwink the people since the polarizing activities of the RSS and its affiliates have gone beyond extreme. The hidden agenda of the BJP-RSS which the NPCC had been harping for the last many years has now become a reality, the NPCC added.
According to the NPCC, just the other day, the state BJYM issued a statement distancing itself from the remarks of an RSS Leader that all Indians are DNA wise Hindus. “But the question for state BJYM is why distance from the father (RSS) when it continues to cozy up with its offspring BJP. Do they feel that the people of Nagaland will take their bait and see them in a new garb?,” it asked.
Ten months of BJP rule and their promised dreams to the people have become mere illusions and the real agenda of targeting the minorities have gained precedence over all other issues of governance. The state BJP leaders instead of pleading with its party central leadership should rather remember their upbringings and beliefs that are under threat from the BJP-RSS combine and severe its connection with the party that has no respect for others, the NPCC said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed 'deep concern' over the incidents of brutal gang-rape of a 71-year-old nun in West Bengal and church vandalism in Haryana, and has sought immediate reports from the state governments. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) took to Twitter and said, “PM is deeply concerned about the incidents in Hisar, Haryana and Nadia, West Bengal.”
"PMO has asked for immediate report on facts & action taken regarding the incidents in Haryana & West Bengal." The alleged gang-rape of an elderly nun at a convent at Gangnapur in Nadia district by dacoits had shocked the nation. The CCTV footage has also revealed the faces of the accused.
While the police has detained 10 people in connection with the case, no arrests have been made so far.
Angry protesters blocked the cavalcade of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday when she visited the Ranghat sub division where the incident had taken place.
Meanwhile, 14 people have been booked and an FIR has been registered after an under-construction church was vandalised in Haryana's Hisar district.
The miscreants had also placed an idol of a Hindu god inside the church on March 6.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said that guilty will be punished.
