INDIA: Disturbing trends for religious freedom and human rights in the ongoing Indian elections
Please see below news reports that raise alarm bells on the rise of xenophobia and intolerance in India vis-a-vis the ongoing elections and the prospect of a BJP ruled India. Senior BJP leaders are campaigning to implement anti-conversion laws across all of India and to drive away people opposed to Modi and BJP to Pakistan. Further, Hindu nationalist leaders that orchestrated the Muzaffarnagar mass religious violence in which over 100 minorities were killed and close to 50,000 people were driven from their homes, were felicitated and honored by the BJP in a public rally for a 'job well done'. This is not the end, veteran MLAs were denied tickets by the BJP to accommodate these riot accused leaders to run for elections from their districts, clearly demonstrating that religious persecution is considered an electoral and political campaign advantage in these ongoing elections in India. Finally, the last news item is most disturbing of all. Please do take a look at it.
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BJP leader says those who oppose Narendra Modi will have to go to Pakistan post-polls
PTI | Deogarh/Dumka (Jharkhand) | Updated: Apr 19 2014
FINANCIAL TIMES
Poll rhetoric has again taken a turn for the worst with Bihar BJP leader Giriraj Singh stirring up a controversy saying that those opposing the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would have to go to Pakistan after the Lok Sabha elections.
"Those opposing Narendra Modi are looking at Pakistan, and such people will have place in Pakistan and not in India," Singh told a poll meeting at Mohanpur Haat Maidan near the temple town Deogarh yesterday.
Attacking the Congress-led UPA government, Singh said, "The central government gives subsidy to those who export beef and not to those rearing cows."
This comes close on the heels of Narendra Modi aide Amit Shah being banned by Election Commission from campaigning, a decision which it revoked soon thereafter.
‘BJP will bring law against religious conversions if voted to power’
VISAKHAPATNAM, April 9, 2013
THE HINDU
Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu has said BJP will bring an anti-conversion law to ban religious conversions in the country if it is voted to power in 2014 General Elections.
He said the country will be safe and sound only when Hindus are in a majority. Every citizen can practice his own religion but conversion from one religion to another will not be tolerated. It would also scrap religion-based reservations, make death penalty lawful to terrorists and withdraw special status to Kashmir apart from scrapping FDI, VAT and a host of anti-people measures initiated by the Congress led UPA government.
Addressing the ‘Praja Chaitanya Sadassu’ which was attended by party workers and sympathisers from the North Andhra districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam at Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium here on Monday, he said nine years of UPA rule saw a total decline of values, development and a faulty policy towards the terrorists and anti-India elements.
Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, who was elated at the good response to the ‘BJP Show’, said the country needed a stable government and a leader who can take tough decisions. “People say that Manmohan Singh is a good man, but the country needs good rulers and not good persons who cannot deliver,” he said.
BJP honours MLAs accused in Muzaffarnagar riots
Hindustan Times New Delhi, November 21, 2013
The Uttar Pradesh BJP leadership on Thursday felicitated two of its MLAs accused of fanning Muzaffarnagar riots at its Vijay Shanknad rally in Agra, where the party's prime ministerial nomineeNarendra Modi spoke shortly after.
The party felicitated Sangeet Som, the MLA from Meerut’s Sardhana constituency (under Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency) and Suresh Rana, MLA from Thana Bhawan constituency in Kairana (erstwhile Muzaffarnagar) and senior party worker Veerendra Singh Gujjar from Deoband.
Another BJP leader, Dr Sanjeev Balian, who also was to be felicitated, could not reach the venue.
The two MLAs were introduced to the gathering by BJP state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai and garlanded by former state BJP president Surya Pratap Sahi. Senior BJP leaders including former chief minister Kalyan Singh and Vinay Katiyar, Ram Ramapati Tripathi were present during this ceremony.
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Muzaffarnagar: Won’t allow riot refugees to vote, says accused BJP MLA
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Riot accused MLA gets BJP ticket
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Karnataka: Pramod Muthalik, the Woman-beater, Minority-hater, President of Shri Ram Sena joins BJP ‘temporarily’
Evict Muslims from Hindu areas: Pravin Togadia
Vijaysinh Parmar,TNN | Apr 21, 2014,
TIMES OF INDIA
RAJKOT: Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) president Pravin Togadia sent temperatures soaring in Bhavnagar on Saturday evening with a hate speech that targeted Muslims for buying properties in Hindu areas.
At night, Togadia joined a group of VHP and Bajrang Dal members on a street protest outside a house purchased by a Muslim businessman near Meghani Circle. While saffron groups have been regularly organizing 'Ram Dhuns' and 'Ram Darbars' to thwart such deals, Togadia went a step further by asking the protesters to take complete control of the house and put a 'Bajrang Dal' board on it.
Togadia told the gathering that there were two ways to stop such deals. One is to pressurize the state government to bring in Disturbed Areas Act in Bhavnagar, which prevents inter-community sale of immovable property. The second is to take forcible possession of the house and fight a legal battle later which will go on for years.
He gave the Muslim occupant 48 hours to vacate the house. "If he does not relent, go with stones, tyres and tomatoes to his office. There is nothing wrong in it. Killers of Rajiv Gandhi have not been hanged ... there is nothing to fear and the case will go on," Togadia told the charged-up gathering.
"I have done it in the past and Muslims have lost both property and money," he said.
He also said that this election is the best time to pressurize political parties to ensure safety of Hindus. "Don't be reluctant to pressurize Congress or BJP for the sake of Hindus' safety," he said.
After the event was over, tension was palpable and police feared that the mob might attack the house. A team of policemen has been stationed outside the house to avert any trouble.
1 comment:
The situation in Uttar Pradesh is catch 22. There is no viable alternative before the people. The secular forces have failed to educate masses regarding the coming danger. In today's world the Hare wins the race as tortoise is not learned to run faster.
There is greater need for Sarv Dharm Sambhav" equal respect for all religion" today. Are we Christians ready for it?
Joseph Anthony Gathia
Journalist, political analyst and human rights activist
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