Tag: secular

Mamata Banerjee attacks BJP pointing out Tagore stood for secular vision

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Kolkata: Even as a controversy broke out over what political rivals saw as an attempt to usurp the legacy of national poet Rabindranath Tagore by the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a speech here on Tuesday to mark the Nobel Laurette’s birth anniversary pointedly spoke about his secular vision and his use of Raksha Bandhan to promote Hindu-Muslim unity.
Analysts saw this as thinly veiled attack on the BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah who is in the city to pay homage to the poet at a function organised by a BJP supported cultural NGO. TMC has long accused BJP and its top leadership of promoting a political ideology opposed to the tenets of secularism.
“We hardly have the qualifications to define the Poet Laurette he is in our soul, he is the poet of the freedom movement, the poet who stood against communal disharmony, who stood for Raksha Bandhan (Tagore tied Rakhis on the wrist of Muslim leaders to unite them with Hindus in the struggle against the British move to divide Bengal in 1905),” Banerjee said.

She also said that many things are being bandied about for the sake of electoral calculations such as that “Tagore was born in Santiniketan”.
“We should not think that for the sake of elections we can purchase someone spending Rs 5, or mistakenly we can say that Rabindranath Tagore was born in Santiniketan,” Banerjee said.
The TMC had two-and-a-half years ago gone to town with a screenshot of a tweet by BJP’s Bengal unit quoting the party president J P Nadda as making the claim as against the fact that he was born in Kolkata at Jorashankho Palace, where Shah had gone Tuesday morning. It has also long been claiming that the BJP hired people for its rallies and processions.
She also pointed to an incident which occurred a few years back when a bust of Bengal renaissance icon and educationist Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was destroyed in a college in Kolkata during a BJP rally some years back, shocking people in the state.
“We should not think that one can vandalise the bust of Vidyasagar,” Banerjee said.

“Those who have Tagore in their hearts always feel him. If ‘Ravi-upasana’ (Rabindranath homage) is done from the bottom of your heart, then that will be the real homage to the real Rabindranath,” Banerjee added.
Earlier in the day, one of Banerjee’s lieutenant’s, state urban minister Firhad Hakim alleged that the BJP was trying to reap benefits from Tagore’s cult status in the state by organising a visit by Shah’s to pay homage to the poet.
Hakim said, “The BJP is trying to woo Bengalis before next year’s Lok Sabha polls. But Rabindranath Tagore should not be used for political reasons or electoral benefits.
He said that Tagore’s ideology of secularism, humanism needs to be understood. “You need to follow his path of tolerance, harmony among all religions, which the BJP does not,” the minister said.
CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim also alleged that both TMC and BJP were trying to use Tagore politically.
“Today those who are playing with religion, are trying to use Tagore for their divisive politics. Tagore was against all this. Neither BJP’s nor TMC’s ideologies match with that of Tagore,” Salim told reporters.
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#Mamata #Banerjee #attacks #BJP #pointing #Tagore #stood #secular #vision
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 9, 2023
”Tu Secular’ certificate to RSS man’: Owaisi slams Congress

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Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), criticised former Congress President Sonia Gandhi when she campaigned in Karnataka’s Hubballi for Jagadish Shettar, who just joined the party after cutting relations with the BJP.
Owaisi told a crowd in Hubballi on Saturday that he did not anticipate Sonia Gandhi to campaign for Jagadish Shettar, whom he referred to as “a man from the RSS.”
Jagadish Shettar resigned from the BJP last month after being denied a ticket to run in the Karnataka assembly elections on May 10. On a Congress ticket, he is running for the Hubballi-Dharwad Central Assembly constituency.

“Ye aapka Secularism hai? Tum aisey muqabala karogey Modi se? Madam Sonia Gandhi mujey summed nahi this aapsey ke aap ek RSS ke aadmi ke liye campaign karney aayengi. Jagdish Shettar toh RSS se aaya hai. Afsoos ki baat hai ki ideology ki ladai mei Congress nakaam hai,” he said slamming the Congress.
(Is this your Secularism? Is this how you will fight Modi? Masam Sonai Gandhi I did not expect that you will come and campaign for an RSS man. Jagdish Shettar had come from RSS. It is sad that Congress is unsuccessful in the war of ideology.)
He added that Congress welcomes those who leave BJP for the party terming them as secular.
“Congress ka mamala ye hai ke jo bjp se nikal gaya..inkey paas ek certificate ki dukaan hai..yun laga ke laga detey (acts out licking a paper to make it stick)..tu secular bolkey. (Congress believes that those who leave BJP are welcomed with a certificate that says “You are Secular”.)

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#Secular #certificate #RSS #man #Owaisi #slams #Congress
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 7, 2023
Parkash Singh Badal was secular, nationalist, says his son and SAD chief Sukhbir

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Badal: Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal was a nationalist and secularist who respected all religions and spread the message of peace, harmony and mutual brotherhood, his son and party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday.
Addressing a gathering at the “bhog” ceremony, Sukhbir Badal sought forgiveness for “whatever mistakes that may have been committed, inadvertently or otherwise, in the past” by him or his family.
The Akali leader thanked people, leaders across the political spectrum and religious leaders for sharing grief with his family following the death of the SAD patriarch and five-time former Punjab chief minister on April 25.

Badal, 95, had not been keeping well and was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on April 16 after he complained of uneasiness while breathing.
On Thursday, the “bhog” ceremony and “antim ardas” were organised for the veteran leader in his village.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Sukhbir Badal said he had no words to thank the community for showing love to his father and the family.
Speaking about the 70 years of public life of Parkash Singh Badal, the SAD chief said his father was a nationalist.
“He always said the country is strong if Punjab and ‘Khalsa Panth’ is strong.”

“He was secular,” Sukhbir Badal said, adding his father always walked on the path shown by the Sikh gurus.
He also followed the message of “sarbat da bhala” (welfare of all) and respected all religions.
Sukhbir Badal said his father always gave the message of peace, harmony and mutual brotherhood.
He dedicated his life to serving the farming community and the poor, the SAD chief said.
Sukhbir Badal said he will always try to walk on the path shown by his father.
“I also seek forgiveness from ‘Khalsa Panth’ and Punjabis if I or my family or elders committed any mistake inadvertently or otherwise,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Indian National Lok Dal chief and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala said, “We had family relations with Badal sahab. He always gave me love. I learnt a lot from him and kept taking inspiration from him.”
“Today, Badal sahab may not be amongst us, but I want to assure you all that we will follow the path shown by him,” Chautala said, adding the Akali Dal patriarch taught everyone to live in harmony.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami also paid tribute to Badal.
He also raised the issue of ‘Bandi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners) and said it was the wish of the former chief minister that they should be released in his lifetime. Dhami raised this issue in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The issue came up a day after the Supreme Court declined to commute the death penalty of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination case.
The SGPC has been seeking the release of the Sikh prisoners who, it claims, continue to be in different jails despite completion of their sentences.
Former Punjab finance minister and Sukhbir Badal’s cousin Manpreet Singh Badal called Badal a protector of rights of farmers and the poor.
Senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said Badal was the father of modern Punjab and had done the most for farmers and weaker sections of society.
Chandumajra also reached out to Manpreet Badal, saying he should “reunite” with Sukhbir Badal.
Manpreet Badal had left the Akali Dal over a decade ago and had formed his own outfit which he later merged with the Congress. However, early this year, he joined the BJP.
Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said Badal had remained the strongest votary of federalism throughout his life.
“Badal sahab believed strong states would make a strong nation and also felt that undue central interference in state subjects would only weaken the nation,” said the jathedar.
He said the late leader also strongly believed in the importance of regional parties as they best echoed the aspirations of the people.
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#Parkash #Singh #Badal #secular #nationalist #son #SAD #chief #Sukhbir
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 4, 2023
Protect secular countenance from dangers of communalism: Farooq Abdullah to J-K people

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Jammu: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Sunday asked people of Jammu and Kashmir to protect the country’s secular countenance from the dangers of “communalism and hate politics”.
“Secularism is one of the philosophical pillars of our party and in contemporary times the idea of secularism is of utmost relevance as new clouds of fears, apprehensions and uncertainties are gathering over the nation’s social horizon.
“I see no way of achieving anything in J-K without a lasting unity between different sections of our society,” Abdullah said.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was speaking at the 31st annual Gurmat Samagam near Peer Baba here.
Appreciating Sevak Paramjit Singh Wazir and the entire Gurmat Samagam organizing body for their efforts towards fostering unity and amity among people, he said communal frenzy has no place in this globalized world.
“Societies which are infested with communalism cannot grow. People have to keep guard against attempts at inciting passions on religious issues, especially in the run-up to elections,” the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar said.
Abdullah said people of Jammu and Kashmir have to forge solidarities, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and region to undo injustices perpetrated on them.
“The people of J-K are facing similar issues in the form of unemployment, inflation, and poverty. These formidable challenges require us to work together in the right direction,” the NC leader said.

Extolling people of the Union territory for their secular legacy, Abdullah said “the need of the hour is to strengthen this heirloom of brotherhood and unity which we have inherited from our ancestors.”
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#Protect #secular #countenance #dangers #communalism #Farooq #Abdullah #people
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 30, 2023
Hindutva crimes on the rise under Bihar’s ‘secular’ govt: Owaisi

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Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday remarked that Hindutva crimes are on the rise under the governance of a ‘secular’ government in Bihar.
Owaisi’s ‘secular’ jibe was directed at the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance which is currently in government in the state.
“Hindutva crimes are on the rise under the “secular” government of Bihar. In some places the police persecute 12-year-old Rizwan and at other places, instead of helping a citizen, abuse him and make him run away. Team brothers @yadavtejashwi @NitishKumar Will Naseeb get justice or Should work be done with Iftar party?” he tweeted.
बिहार की “सेक्युलर” सरकार में हिंदुत्ववादी जुर्म बढ़ रहे हैं।पुलिस कहीं 12 साल के रिज़वान पर ज़ुल्म करती है तो कहीं नागरिक की मदद करने के बजाए उसे गाली देकर भगा देती है।Aटीम वाले भाइयों @yadavtejashwi @NitishKumar क्या नसीब को इंसाफ़ मिलेगा या इफ़्तार पार्टी से काम चला लिया जाए? https://t.co/cwQ1nQ0gCC
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) March 9, 2023
Owaisi was referring to the case of 12-year-old Rizwan who was arrested along with his seventy-year-old grandfather after communal violence erupted in Siwan on September 12, 2022 and the latest case of the lynching of a Muslim man on suspicion of carrying beef.
The 47-year-old Muslim man was lynched to death by a Hindu mob who accused him and his nephew of carrying beef. The incident happened in Rasulpur of Chhapra district, Bihar on March 7.
In a press release, police said that three people have been arrested and the hunt is on for the remaining accused.
According to Maktoob Media, the deceased Naseeb Qureshi and his nephew Firoz Qureshi were returning home when they were attacked by a mob of 10-15 people.

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#Hindutva #crimes #rise #Bihars #secular #govt #Owaisi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
No scope for hate crimes on basis of religion in secular country such as India: SC

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that there is a growing consensus around hate speech and stressed there is no scope for hate crimes on the basis of religion in a secular country such as India.
“There cannot be any compromise on hate speech at all,” the top court said and added that it is only if the State acknowledges the problem of hate speech that a solution can be found.
It also said that it is the primary duty of the State to protect its citizens from any such hate crimes.
A bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna said, “When action is not taken against hate crimes then an atmosphere is fostered which is very dangerous and it has to be rooted out from our lives. There cannot be any compromise on hate speech at all.”
The top court was hearing a plea of a Muslim man who has alleged that he was assaulted and abused in the name of religion on July 4, 2021, by a “screwdriver gang” of criminals as he had boarded a car to go to Aligarh from Noida, and that the police has not bothered to register any complaint of hate crime.
The bench told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) KM Nataraj, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, that, “Nowadays there is a growing consensus around hate speech. There is no scope for hate crimes in the name of religion in a secular country like India. It has to be rooted out and it is the primary duty of the state to protect its citizens from any such crimes.”
“If a person comes to the police and says that I was wearing a cap and my beard was pulled and abused in the name of religion and still no complaint is registered, then it is a problem,” it said.
Justice Joseph said action of every state officer augments respect for the law. Otherwise, everyone will take the law into their own hands, he said.

The bench, which sat till 6 pm hearing the matter, said, “Will you not acknowledge that there is a hate crime and you will sweep it under the carpet? We are not saying anything adverse. We are only expressing our anguish. That is all.”
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioner Kazeem Ahmad Sherwani, said it was on January 13 that this court had asked the state government to produce the case diary that police had registered the FIR after two years and that too with all bailable offences barring one.
Nataraj conceded that there were lapses on part of police officials and said that a special investigation team has been constituted headed by an ACP-rank officer and disciplinary action has been taken against erring police officials.
The bench said, “You set an example and let such people face consequences for dereliction of duty. It is only when you take action against such incidents that we will come at par with developed nations. Yes, there has been clear lapse and there is nothing wrong in admitting a mistake”.
Nataraj said that on July 4, 2021, when the alleged incident had taken place, the victim had gone to a police outpost in Sector 37 in Noida where no senior police official but constables were present. Hence, no complaint was registered, he said.
“Then he went to the hospital in Jamia Nagar and gave a statement to the Delhi Police that he was robbed, assaulted and suffered injuries. No where he said that it was a case of hate crime or was assaulted because he was Muslim,” Nataraj said.
Justice Nagarathna said, “At any point of time the victim cannot be met with disparaging remarks. Victim should not make it look as if he is a perpetrator of crime”.
Justice Joseph said be in minority or majority, certain rights are inherent in human beings. “You are born into a family and raised in one. We have no choice on our religion, but we stand out as a nation. That’s the beauty, the greatness of our nation. We have to understand this,” he told Nataraj.
Justice Joseph referring to a recent incident in Rajasthan said a mute person was attacked but it was later found that the victim was Hindu. “If you ignore this (hate crime), then one day it will come for you,” he said, adding that there is no doubt that some people have a communal attitude.
The ASG said that eight FIRs have been registered against the gang members and action has been taken against them.
The bench then asked when the first FIR was registered against the gang members and how many people were arrested and were they the same people, who attacked the victim and when were they bailed out.
Nataraj said he will file an affidavit giving details of all the FIRs but pointed out that the first FIR was registered in June 2021 against the “screwdriver gang” members and they have not discriminated in attacking Muslims or Hindus.
Advocate Ahmadi said it took two years to acknowledge that there was a criminal incident and in two affidavits filed by the Uttar Pradesh government, police have said that there was no hate crime.
“On July 5, 2021, a police patrol had come to my house and asked not to press for hate crime angle”, he said, adding that the victim’s beard was pulled and stripped and made fun of for being circumcised in a car.
The bench said that it cannot issue a pan-India direction on the victim’s petition under Article 32, as it may not be a case symptomatic of what is happening across the country or otherwise it will flood the courts.
Nataraj said police has not denied that there was not a criminal incident but no where it was found that it was a hate crime and the victim has tried to take advantage of media hype and changed its statements.
The bench asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a detailed affidavit and posted the matter for further hearing on March 3.
On October 21 last year, the apex court had asked Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi to crack down hard on those making hate speeches, observing, “where have we reached in the name of religion, what have we reduced religion to is tragic”.
Holding that the Constitution of India envisages a secular nation, the court had directed the three states to promptly register criminal cases against the offenders without waiting for a complaint to be filed.
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#scope #hate #crimes #basis #religion #secular #country #India
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 6, 2023