Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent statement that the reservation for Muslims in Telangana would be scrapped shows the “hatred against the minorities” and it goes against the Constitution, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Tuesday. The BJP, he said, was intending to sow hatred against a certain section and project it as the collective sentiment of the people.
In a question-and-answer format video, as part of his ‘Ungalil Oruvan’ (One among you) initiative, Mr. Stalin alleged Mr. Shah had made such a statement for electoral gains.
“The statement of the Union Home Minister of a country, which has secularism enshrined in its Constitution, is an act against the Constitution,” he said. The BJP leaders have “imagined” that inciting hatred against Muslims would satisfy the Hindus, and that was not the case, he said.
Arguing that “the majority of those who did not vote for the BJP are Hindus” who wanted peace and fraternity, Mr. Stalin alleged that the BJP was using its social media accounts to spread lies and imagined narratives against a certain section.
A section of the media, too, was playing a part in spreading the hate politics of the BJP, he alleged.
Mr. Stalin thanked the Chief Ministers of the States not under the BJP who backed his call to follow Tamil Nadu by adopting resolutions in their Assemblies urging the Union government and the President to fix a time limit for the Governors to approve the Bills passed by the legislatures.
He hoped the other Chief Ministers would extend their support.
Mr. Stalin said his party would continue to voice the demand for holding all examinations of the Union of India in all State languages.
When asked about the attempts to project the ruling DMK’s decision to withdraw the legislation allowing more than eight hours of work, following pressure from its allies, as a sign of weakness, he said, “Democracy is to understand and act in accordance with the sentiments of people. This was one such decision. The legislation was not brought in with strength. And to withdraw it is not a sign of weakness.”
