Days after industrialist Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw raised her voice against the religious divide caused by calls for boycott of Muslim-owned businesses in Karnataka, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that such incidents will stop the country’s development.
“Some organisations in Karnataka issued a fatwa asking [people] to not buy goods from businesses owned by minorities. This country allows freedom of doing business to each individual, be it Dalit, tribal, minority or majority. If the business is good, the produce is fine, our society respects such enterprises. But if some organisations who rule the country start warning businesses over religious identity then the country will go nowhere. It will damage the country’s development,” Mr. Pawar said. He was speaking at a programme in Sangli district of Maharashtra.
The former Union Minister said that the NCP needs to fight against such fundamentalists.
Karnataka has been in the news over the last few weeks, following warnings by Hindu Right-wing organisations to Muslim businesses and their calls to boycott businesses owned by Muslims. Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw had raised concern over this religious divide a few days ago.
Mr. Pawar also pointed to the “insults hurled at Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad” by Right-wing elements. “The country is witnessing a leadership which is finding solace in making comments on them, instead of respecting these freedom fighters who helped build the country. Today, the only thing happening is to divide people on religious lines, unlike our former leaders to chained people together for the country and development,” he said.
Addressing his party leaders, Mr. Pawar said that the politics of his party must be of development, education and employment. Earlier, former Minister and leader from Sangli district, Shivajirao Naik, joined the NCP in Mr. Pawar’s presence.
