Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the BJP and RSS a day after the murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru, with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi remarking that anyone who speaks against their ideology is “pressured, beaten, attacked, and even killed”. Stating that he has spoken with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and told him that “it is very important that people who have done this are caught and punished”, Rahul said, “It is a philosophy. Anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP, against the ideology of the RSS, is pressured, beaten, attacked, and even killed. The idea is there should only be one voice in this country…And that is not the nature of this country.”
Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh, who was the party’s Karnataka in-charge until recently, however, raised the point that the Siddaramaiah government in the state has “unfortunately” failed to solve rationalist and anti-superstition activist M M Kalburgi’s murder even two years on. He said, “When I was there in charge of Karnataka, I had mentioned to the CM…it is unfortunate that you have been able to close this…. They said, ‘we are making efforts’.”
Read | At Press Club, vow not to be scared, silenced
Rahul Gandhi said party chief Sonia Gandhi has spoken with Siddaramaiah and “urged him to swiftly bring culprits to book”.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence, he said, “People say the Prime Minister is quiet, and that he has not said anything. The point is, the entire ideology is to silence voices (of dissent). Sometimes, the Prime Minister feels, ‘There is so much pressure, let me say something.’ But the entire idea is to crush dissent.” He also said, “The Prime Minister is a very skilled Hindutva politician. What he says has two meanings: one for his base (supporters) and another for the world.”
Also read | Onus of punishing killers on state, says BJP
Former Law minister M Veerappa Moily said, “When people such as Lt Col Purohit and those accused in the Malegaon blasts…when these people are released, when evidence is silenced…this encourages them (attackers) that nothing will happen…. This is the message the government is giving.” At AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, “If you do not agree with us, we shall kill you —- (that) is the new slogan of new India. This is the new normal.”
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
