BJP: Country’s legal system is transparent
WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYBODY ON THE BASIS OF RELIGION; DEMONETISATION AFFECTED ALL PEOPLE
We do not discriminate against anybody on the basis of religion, ruling party general secretary Ram Madhav says |
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the UAE early next year, a senior member of his party told Gulf News here yesterday.
Ram Madhav, general secretary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who was on a visit to the UAE, said India attaches great importance to bilateral ties and Modi’s second planned visit will further strengthen them.
Madhav is one of the seven general secretaries of the party and is in charge of Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states. He was once dubbed by the media as Modi’s pointsman for international outreach.
In an interview at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Madhav spoke on a range of issues. Below are the excerpts:
What brings you to the UAE?
This year, the government is celebrating the birth centenary of BJP ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay and the embassies of Oman and UAE have organised events as part of the celebrations. I came here to speak [at] these events.
How do you describe India’s relationship with the UAE?
We have a very important relationship with the UAE defined by trade and commerce and by people to people contacts. Of late it has matured into a strategic partnership and our prime minister attaches great importance to this relationship. He has good personal level relations with the UAE rulers … he came to the UAE in August 2015 and the UAE leaders visited India. There will be most likely another visit by our prime minister early next year and this will further strengthen our relationship.
Modi has condemned killings of Muslims by cow vigilantes and asked the states to take action. But his words have made little impact.
We have specific laws for cow protection and a number of states have promulgated anti-cow slaughter laws. Wherever people take the law in their hands, they will be dealt with strictly. That’s what the prime minister has said … any kind of vigilantism in the name of cow cannot be allowed.
In India, two things happen — people violate these laws and indulge in cow smuggling, and that creates backlash at some level. We have enough instances where these smugglers have indulged in atrocities against villagers.
Two, there are some cases where unruly elements have taken things in their hands and in both the scenarios states have been asked to act tough. But in any given case if the judiciary takes a position then that has to be respected. If there is no evidence against a particular group, the courts take appropriate decision.
But Pehlu Khan’s case was handled by Rajasthan police and it released the suspects despite a video evidence against them.
These matters are dealt with in a legal, transparent manner. We have seen people spending time in jail for long years. Legal process will be strictly followed and one should not question India’s legal process.
There is a perception among Muslims that BJP governments in several states are targeting professions that employ Muslims. Muslims say they are targeted because they don’t vote for the BJP. How do you respond to that?
We do not discriminate against anybody on the basis of his or her religion. Yes, we get relatively less support from certain communities but that doesn’t mean no one from these communities supports us. We make laws by keeping the country’s interest in mind and if a law is impacting any group it should not be seen as against any community. We had demonetisation which had affected people from every community.
On India’s Independence Day, on August 15, BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh directed Muslim schools or madrasas to provide video evidence of national flag hoisting. Muslims say the BJP wants them to prove their patriotism. Your comments?
These instructions were issued by madrasa boards that insisted on organising these events and I think these instructions were in good spirit. As far as I understand they did not ask for a proof, they asked for videos to be sent to the board. This was construed as a condition … in any case this was for a good cause and I don’t think anybody should raise objections.
BJP has been accused of creating an environment that is leading to attacks and killings of writers and journalists. Critics cite the example of Gauri Lankesh’s murder. How do you respond?
This is a very funny argument. BJP has created an environment so that a murder takes place in [a] Congress-ruled state? These are all misconceptions being sought to be created by certain sections.
Every killing must be condemned but the state governments concerned have to take responsibility for such incidents. We have condemned Gauri Lankesh’s murder and have asked the state to order a CBI inquiry … one month has passed and the Karnataka government has no clue. In Karnataka, tens of RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] workers were murdered but no one talks about these incidents.
A senior journalist, Ravish Kumar, has alleged that people issuing death threats to him are being followed by Modi on Twitter. Why is he not unfollowing these elements?
No one can get away after violating the law and law will take its own course. If anybody has faced any threats on social media they should approach the police. The legal system in India is transparent and does not discriminate against anyone on party basis.