Home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday dismissed the allegations that intolerance is increasing under the Narendra Modi government, saying that the biggest victim of intolerance has been the prime minister himself. Singh said that projecting India as unfit for living will only hurt the country's image and prevent foreign investment. He also attacked the Congress while addressing the intolerance debate in the Lok Sabha. He said that intolerance has been displayed in the country only thrice: during the partition in 1947, the Emergency in the 1970s and the 1984 riots.
Singh said, "Yes, we are intolerant. We are intolerant towards corruption, unclean surroundings, terrorism, violence against women and other such issues." He added that anyone trying to harm social and religious harmony of the country will not be spared, reported PTI. Members of the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Left staged a walk-out during Singh's speech, reported ANI.
Narendra Modi earlier said in the Rajya Sabha that the people of the country do not need to provide a certificate of their patriotism every now and then. In his 40-minute reply to the intolerance debate, Modi said, "If there is any incident of atrocity against anybody, it is a blot on all of us, for the society as well as the nation. We should feel the pain and take this to ensure such things do not happen." The prime minister also said that "unity and harmony is the tradition of India" and that "unless we stop favouritism, we won’t grow". Modi quoted Max Muller to end his speech: "If there is heaven in the world I will say it’s India."
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government while speaking in the Lok Sabha. He said that staging a protest in India today "means attracting the charge of sedition". Gandhi added, "I request the government: please do not learn the wrong lessons from Pakistan." He also lashed out at BJP leader VK Singh, saying that he had directly challenged the Constitution by equating the killing of Dalit children to a dog being stoned.
Proceedings began on Tuesday with Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, where Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed several adjournment notices on the subjects of intolerance, price rise, violence against women and the meeting between Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifin Paris on Monday. While the Opposition blamed the BJP for the rising issues of intolerance, Minister of State for Home Affairs Rijiju insisted that law and order was a state matter, and that most polarising incidents were taking place in states where the BJP was not in power. Rijiju also claimed that the number of communal incidents in the country have declined "substantially" since the NDA government has come to power, providing figures from 2013 as against 2015.
Climate change was also a subject the MPs raised, in particular its effect on the country's farmers and the GDP. The MPs cited floods in Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, and droughts in Maharashtra as consequences of climate change, and asked the ruling party what measures were in place to prevent such damage to the environment.
Earlier in the day, the BJP held a Parliamentary meeting for its MPs, warning them not to make contentious statements that could disrupt proceedings. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has been attempting to mellow its stand and appease the Opposition in order to gain their support for key legislations such as the Goods and Services Tax Bill.
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