BJP MP Tejasvi Surya says only ‘puncture-wallahs’ opposing CAA, draws flak

Surya also said “namby-pamby secularism had no place in new India”. “We are creating a new India, a $5-trillion economy. Your namby-pamby secularism will not work here anymore,” the MP said.

Among India’s youngest parliamentarians, the 29-year-old lawyer was seen making these remarks to loud cheers. However, as his video went viral Monday, many criticised Surya for exhibiting “crass elitism”.

Indian Youth Congress leader Srivatsa Y B wrote on Twitter, “Want to know what privilege sounds like? MP @Tejasvi_Surya, who hails from a rich political family, mocks CAA protestors as ILLITERATES and PUNCTURE WALAS. Are the poor not supposed to protest now? Such crass elitism is unbecoming of a parliamentarian,” sharing a video of Surya’s speech.

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Another person tweeted, “The PM always brags about his humble chaiwala background and his MPs mock protesting citizens as illiterates & Puncture walas.”

Surya had made a surprise appearance at the rally, titled ‘India Supports CAA’. The organisers of the rally said they were “like-minded social activists and citizens” with no links to any political organisation.

“To those who question how we can grant citizenship based on religion, I will point out that the persecution of these minorities was done on the very same religious basis,” Surya said.

Surya’s comments were a contrast to the peaceable tone of the other attendees at the rally. “There has been a lot of misinformation spread on social media and otherwise about the new Citizenship law, while not many have come forward to discuss facts about it,” Neeraj Kamath, an organiser of the event, told indianexpress.com.

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Reacting to Surya’s remarks, former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah Monday said they “reflect his mental status” and attitude towards the poor and downtrodden.

“He (Surya) is an RSS man, grown in ABVP. He represents the system that took away the rights of Dalits, Shudras and backward communities. This is what he represents,” Siddaramaiah said in Mangaluru.

This is not the first time Surya has attracted controversy for his remarks. Soon after BJP lost Jayanagar bypolls to Congress in June 2018, he had said that the BJP should “really become a Hindu party and not just be perceived as one.”
https://twitter.com/Tejasvi_Surya/status/1006923512152387585
Sharing ward-wise results of the bypolls on Twitter, he had written, “Call me a bigot, communal fanatic or whatever. But singular reason for BJP’s defeat in Jayanagar is the complete consolidation of Muslim vote. BJP should unapologetically be a party for Hindus. Must take concrete legislative measures to alleviate Hindu issues, not just make speeches…Congress is the party of Muslims: every Hindu must be convinced of this truth.”