A day after the rollout of the historic Goods and Services Tax (GST), President Pranab Mukherjee addressed the other key issue dominating headlines – mob lynchings.
Speaking at the launch of National Herald's commemorative edition 'India@70', the President said:
When mob lynching becomes so high and uncontrollable, we have to pause and reflect, ‘are we vigilant enough?’
The President's statements came two days after a beef trader was beaten to death in BJP-run Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, on the same day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence and condemned violence in the name of ‘gau bhakti’, albeit without naming any particular incident.
“Today, when I hear that someone is killed in the name of a cow – whether he is innocent or guilty is something the law will decide – no person has the right to take the law into his own hands. I appeal to the people of the country: Violence is not a solution to the problems,” Modi had said.
Over the past few months, there has been not one but several instances of lynching over alleged beef possession and consumption.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who too was present at the event, also condemned the “culture of vigilante violence”, adding that it was being "actively supported" by those who are supposed to enforce the law and that the nation was facing a great challenge in the form of "domestic misrule".
She said India has reached "a crossroads marked by increasing threats of authoritarianism and bigotry" and the "inclusive conception" of the country was "under attack".
We are in a war of ideas. We wage this war to preserve our ideals, which have built India up as a model of democracy, diversity and coexistence. When these ideals are threatened, India itself is in danger. And if we do not raise our voices, if we do not speak up, our silence will be taken as consent.Sonia Gandhi, Congress President
She said the press was being "pressured to obey and applaud" rather than to question and speaking the truth was the imperative of the present age.
On Wednesday, people demonstrating against mob lynchings took to the streets across major cities in the country with the slogan 'Not in my name'. Following the protests, a local BJP leader was arrested in connection with the Ramgarh lynching.
Days before Eid, a young Muslim teenager was hacked to death on a Mathura-bound train.
(With inputs from PTI)
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