Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 10: While the BJP has resurrected an old video to target the Aam Aadmi Party for allegedly using some derogatory terms for the prime minister Narendra Modi, the party remained silent on an alleged hate speech by one of its Parliamentarians asking the people to “boycott” the members of a particular community, apparently Muslims.
Taking exception to the AAP Gujarat unit chief Gopal Italia allegedly referring to Modi as a “neech aadmi” (a lowly person), the BJP spokesman Sambit Patra on Monday said it was an insult to the democratic process of the country and the people of Gujarat from where the prime minister hails.
The BJP’s IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya had on Sunday shared a video on Twitter where Gopal Italia, AAP’s Gujarat convener, can be heard calling Mr. Modi ” neech aadmi” (a lowly person). It was found that the video was of 2019 made during the run-up to the General Elections that year. But it was deliberately resurrected now in view of the Gujarat Assembly elections this year.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Monday, Patra said the language used by the AAP with reference to the PM, “exposes AAP and shows what is their intention.” Mr. Patra asserted that no Prime Minister can be called “ neech aadmi”, as “all Prime Ministers are democratically elected. And calling them neech aadmi (lowly person) is an insult to democratic process of India … parliamentary process of the country”.
Stating that the AAP will face the same fate as Congress did after its leader Mani Shankar Aiyar used the same invective for Mr. Modi, Mr. Patra said, “Prime Minister Modi hails from Gujarat and using such remarks against him is an insult of Gujarat too.”
The party, however, was silent on its MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma on Sunday at a public address in Delhi asking the people for “total boycott” of a community, seemingly Muslims. The AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent at a time when leaders of his party, the BJP, are “openly giving hate speeches.”
“Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of everyone, not for only his electorate or those who follow the hateful Hindutva ideology. But unfortunately, the PM will not speak. Others will speak but it will have no impact on the ground,” he said.
Mr Verma yesterday asked supporters to enforce a “total boycott” of a community. “…Wherever you see them, if you want to fix their head, if you want to set them straight, then the only cure is total boycott. Raise your hand if you agree,” the BJP MP said at the Delhi event. The Delhi Police have filed a first information report, or FIR, against the event organisers for allegedly not taking permission for the public meeting, but not over the hate speech.
“The police will never act against any BJP spokesperson. This is a regular feature…The BJP has made a policy that any genocidal call can be done with impunity. This same spokesperson [Mr Verma] had made remarks that started the Delhi riots [in February 2020],” Mr Owaisi alleged.
Mr Verma, when asked about his remarks, said he “did not name any religious community”. “What I said was that the families whose members carry out such killings should be boycotted. Such families, if they run any restaurant or business, should be boycotted,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police has summoned for questioning the former Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who resigned on Sunday after BJP protests over his presence at a religious conversion event, sources said. He resigned after the BJP raised a controversy over Gautam attending the Buddhist ceremony where the converts denounced some Hindu Gods and Goddesses following the footsteps of the conversion of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar way back in 1954.
After his resignation yesterday, Mr Gautam tweeted: “Today is the manifestation day of Maharishi Valmiki ji and on the other hand it is also the death anniversary of Manyavar Kanshi Ram Saheb. In such a coincidence, today I have been freed from many shackles and today I have been born again. Now I will continue to fight for rights and atrocities on the society more firmly without any restrictions.”