New Delhi: Union finance minister Arun Jaitley declared on Tuesday that India would never be intolerant, and rejected the Congress’ pitch on the issue, saying opponents must fight political battles politically, and wondered, “Where is the intolerance?”
The minister termed the recent incidents, including the beef row, as “aberrations”, and insisted that there was “no justification” for returning of awards and the overall national situation was “absolutely peaceful... India is fully committed as a liberal democracy to peaceful coexistence.”
“There is an atmosphere of harmony. This country has never been intolerant and will never be intolerant,” the top BJP leader said, replying to questions, including on the Congress’ protest march to President Pranab Mukherjee on the issue Tuesday.
The finance minister said it was “not fair” to create an issue for political reasons and link it to the Centre when such incidents occurred in states ruled by other parties. “Where is the intolerance? We are the most vibrant democracy. The atmosphere will not change only by talking. If some incident happens like the one in Karnataka, which is Congress-ruled, you cannot link it to the Central government to attack.
That is not fair. This is a crime and action should be taken against whoever commits the crime. That is why people in the mainstream in the country have opposed it,” he said. The BJP and the Congress have locked horns over the issue of “growing intolerance” in the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying on Monday that the Congress president had no moral right to lecture the NDA on tolerance and it should “hang its head in shame” for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, where thousands were massacred.
The minister was speaking after unveiling plans for the 46th International Film Festival of India. The IFFI will be held in Goa from November 20 to 30. When asked if the government was talking to filmmakers who were returning awards, Mr Jaitley said, “When there is an atmosphere of peace in the country, what is the justification in returning awards?”
He downplayed filmstar Shah Rukh Khan’s comments on “intolerance”, saying “religious intolerance and not being secular... is the worst kind of crime you can do as a patriot”.
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