Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday denied that his ministerial colleague, Ram Shankar Katheria, made an inflammatory speech in Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and stressed that India is the most secular country in the world.
Rajnath was responding to a calling attention motion on an alleged inflammatory speech by Katheria.
I heard Katheria’s speech and I made others hear it. We all agreed there is nothing inflammatory in the speech. If there is any secular country in the world, it is India. India is the only country in the world where people of all faiths live, not only this, all major sects of all religions, including Islam and Christianity, are found here, which is not the case with any other country.Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Ram Shankar Katheria, courted controversy after he allegedly delivered a hate speech during a condolence function held in Agra for a murdered Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader on February 28.
The government faced a tough time in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday as opposition members raised the issue of what they called “hate and inflammatory” speeches by BJP MPs and legislators in different parts of the country.
While D Raja of the Communist Party of India asked Rajnath Singh why the government had not taken action against Katheria and others, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati said she would have sent Katheria behind bars had she been in power in Uttar Pradesh.
Responding to members’ concerns, Rajnath Singh pointed out that law and order was a state subject, and suggested that if anybody is indulged in such practices he or she should be controlled and dealt with by the state governments concerned.
The minister also refused to subscribe to the anti-Muslim views vis-a-vis terrorism. The minister called upon all political parties to join hands in protecting India’s unity and integrity.
Terrorism has no colour or religion whatsoever. A single political party cannot protect the country’s unity and integrity. We all will have to make collective efforts for that.Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister
Rajnath said that every Indian had to ensure that India remained “the biggest secular country of the world”.
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