‘No big communal riot in four years’
that concept of secularism.
So has the expression of prejudice become more public?
It is because of technological advancement. Our mentality has not changed or degenerated. There are only a handful of such people.
Are these people encouraged because of the perception that this government encourages this prejudice?
They are discouraged. They know that government agenda is clear - to deal with them strongly. PM Modi said it in Parliament and outside. BJP chief Amit Shah has spoken on this. All have one message. Violence and hate activities are unacceptable. The fringe elements are getting isolated. When they are isolated then they try to magnify their conduct, they will make fake videos, edit some portion and do such things.
Is there fringe within the RSS too?
No. There can never be a fringe in the Sangh parivar. They have focused work. They believe in uniting – and not breaking – the society.
Let us move to elections. Your rivals believe that polarising society on religious lines and garner the maximum vote of Hindus is a conscious strategy.
2014 election was an exceptional election. After the election was over, we sat down to analyse voting patterns. There were cases where we polled 15-20% votes in polling station with less than 2% non-muslim voters. This was despite the kind of campaign that was unleashed against Modi in the run up to election. Despite this, Muslims voted for Modi. I am sure, more than 30% of Muslims will vote for the BJP (in 2019). There are more than two dozen prime ministerial candidates roaming in the country. They know there is no vacancy for the PM’S post in 2019.
But the results of the bypoll in recent months have shown that a united Opposition can spring a surprise on the BJP...
Before 2014 general election, Congress and allies won most of the bypolls. Let us not predict general elections on the basis of bypoll. There are several local factors that come into play during a bypoll.
Won’t the coming together of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh make a solid social combination against you?
Have we lost the bypoll with a 4-5 lakh margin? We lost by a few thousand votes. It becomes easier to fight if you know the strategy of the rival. The by-poll results are in a way good for the BJP. It will help us formulate our strategy better.
Why are then issues such as Ram Temple and Jinnah portraits in Aligarh Muslim University being highlighted? Is it an exercise to polarise votes?
We want polarisation on development and Modi’s work.
Then why is there talk of Ayodhya and AMU?
Ayodhya issue is an ideological issue for us. It is in court. Everybody wants that matter to be decided at the earliest. Development and good governance will be our political agenda.
The Ayodhya judgment may come soon. Do you think it will have a bearing on the communal situation in the country?
People have made up their mind. Each community will accept whatever judgment is delivered. When there was a high court judgment, people accepted it. Please remember, outfits such as Al-qaeda and the IS have not been able to develop roots in India, except for some small portion in Kashmir. If there has been some such isolated activities, the Muslim community itself has isolated them. Unity and harmony is in our DNA.
How do you respond to demands for SC/ST reservation in minority institutions such as AMU?
AMU and other minority institutions must think over it. SCS are weaker sections, and door should not be shut on them.
Will your government bring the required legislative changes?
It will be better if these institutions come forward and consider these suggestions positively.
Your government brought a bill banning triple talaq. It is stuck in Parliament. Do you expect its passage in this session?
There have been several reforms in this country. When it was the matter of Sati, there was a section which claimed it was interference in matter of faith. Triple talaq is not a religious matter but a social ill that demolishes the concept of gender equality. The Lok Sabha has passed a bill. The Congress, which supported it in the LS, got a different view on it in the Rajya Sabha. We request them to make suggestion for changes, if any...doing politics outside will serve no purpose.
The Opposition alleges that government hardly reaches out to it for smooth conduct of Parliament.
We talk to every political party. Their grudge would be considered genuine only when the government is not ready to debate any issue. When we are saying “yes” - without delay - to any issue of the Opposition, even then there is disturbance.
Give that you admit that this is election year, how legitimate is your expectation about Parliament functioning in monsoon session?
Debate is the only solution. When there is no issue, you disturb the House. NEW DELHI: An acquaintance on a Whatsapp Group recently asked why mining companies alone should be held accountable for the pollution emitted by them when it was the consumers that drove demand which eventually drove mining.
This pushed me to think. How did this even make sense? Yes, consumers must cut down overconsumption. But what if the aluminium pan you’ve been using for years for your morning chai is the progeny of terrible bauxite mining and highly polluting aluminium smelting? Are you to blame? If you have several other pans stacked away, underused, you are guilty of overconsumption. But you aren’t guilty of the havoc caused by mining and smelting, unless you’re sharing their profits. Here’s why: First, most companies are set up to make as much profit as possible, including avoiding what’s not mandatory. So, there isn’t an incentive to shift to clean production if it costs. Second, huge projects are extraordinarily damaging, but mega returns are based on mega investments. India’s economic model believes in ‘big,’ which offers financial (but inequitable) returns, so there’s state encouragement for these. Third, you aren’t a partner but the market, the part where the profit cycle is closed. You are key to the business model. This doesn’t mean we reduce consumption and sit back. We’ve got to proactively educate ourselves and hold accountable the manufacturers and government. We’ve got to talk about planned obsolescence when products are designed to get outdated fast, so more can be sold. We’ve got to support local groups fighting pollution. On an increasingly fragile planet, being agnostic is not an option.