Why are rights activists silent now, says Venkaiah Naidu

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. (PTI/File Photo)

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday questioned why “human rights activists” were “silent” on the dastardly attack by Maoists that claimed the lives of 25 CRPF personnel in Sukma. Without mentioning names, Naidu said in a statement that even after the attack had left the nation “shocked”, the “so-called sympathisers and proponents” of human rights have maintained “baffling silence”.

Such activists react “violently” when an extremist or a terrorist is killed by security forces, “but take shelter in silence when a large number of jawans and innocent people get killed”, Naidu said. “Are human rights only meant for those who chose violence in furtherance of their outdated ideologies and not for security personnel and common people?” he asked. He alleged that such “motivated acts of violence are being resorted to with tacit support” of the “so-called human rights activists” who want to derail the positive narrative emerging from the government’s efforts to make development reach everyone.

“There is an urgent need to build strong public opinion against such violent acts by outlawed elements and the so-called human rights activists who have double standards and don’t uphold similar rights of security personnel, their families and innocent people who fall victim to such anti-national activities,” Naidu said. The CRPF men who gave the “highest sacrifice”, Naidu said in his statement, “were serving the cause of the people of the country”. Such “cowardly” acts by “underground extremist elements”, he said, were deplorable.

He declared that families of the dead CRPF personnel will get the “highest consideration” from both central and state governments. Both the governments will work with “renewed commitment to bring such mindless acts of violence to an end.”