Former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram conceded on Friday, 8 February, that the use of National Security Act (NSA) in the Madhya Pradesh cow slaughter case was wrong. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has pointed out the mistake to the party-led MP government, he added.
Earlier this week, the Kamal Nath-led government had slapped NSA against three men accused of killing a cow at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh.
Chidambaram was speaking at the launch of his book Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in Delhi at 6:30 pm on Friday, 8 February.
‘Congress Most Accommodating on Forming Alliance’
Chidambaram said the Congress has been the most vocal and accommodating in forming alliances with non-BJP parties. He said, “All non-BJP parties should get together for state-specific alliances and not national alliances - that's our motive.”
Chidambaram on Sabarimala and Ayodhya Dispute
Talking about the Ayodhya and the Sabarimala dispute, Chidambaram said, “Are these issues that are amenable to a judicial resolution. I personally support the SC judgment. But if millions of people think otherwise, who am I to tell them they are wrong? Party workers are expressing their view. How can I tell them not to take such a view?”
Pointing out the difference between the Sabarimala issue and the Ram temple movement in Ayodhya, “Ayodhya is not an issue of custom, it's an issue of faith. Sabarimala is an issue of custom. I don't think we can mix an issue of custom and an issue of faith.”
Chidambaram On Triple Talaq
Clarifying on the Triple Talaq bill comment, Congress leader Sushmita Dev, who was present at the launch event, said, “If the credit for banning Triple Talaq is to go to someone, it’s the Supreme Court. The only credit that the BJP can take about triple talaq is to criminalise it. The bill is a lot about criminalisation. What does this bill bring to the table? It only brings criminalisation. I am not going to let an anti-Muslim party like the BJP tout the bill and portray themselves as a messiah.”
On Thursday, 7 February, Dev had said that the Congress will strike down the proposed Triple Talaq law after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections if voted to power.
Chidambaram also added that the problem with the bill was criminalising the practice. He said, “Sushmita didn't say we're going to reverse the SC judgment. Sushmita was talking about criminalising. Media distorted the story.”
More About Chidambaram’s New Book
The book, which is a collection of essays, narrates how an atmosphere of fear pervades the country in the current context and how Constitutional values such as freedom, equality and secularism are being threatened.
“There is a clear and present danger that the Constitution of India will be replaced by a document that will be inspired by an ideology called Hindutva. That will be the end of the “idea of India” given to us by the founding fathers; and to restore that idea will require nothing less than another freedom struggle and another Mahatma.”P Chidambaram in the introduction of Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India, as quoted by PTI
The Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP further says that he does not see BJP as an enemy but as “a political party that is at the extreme right of Indian politics” whose fate will be decided by the people of India.
The book was released by former Vice President Hamid Ansari, who has written its foreword.
It was followed by a panel discussion having former minister Salman Khurshid, Congress leader Sushmita Dev, TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi, TCA Srinivasa Raghavan and Chidambaram.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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