Muslims harassed in TN: Azad

The terrorist activities in Tamil Nadu indulged in by some fundamentalists have been blown out of proportion, Azad contended and said according to information he received more than 30,000 persons were detained by the state government early last month on the eve of the Babri Masjid anniversary.

Regretting that the minorities are not being treated as they were in earlier decades, he said “the pregnant issue” of the place of minorities must be perceived in the backdrop of the fact that they, particularly inthe southern parts of the country, did not choose to leave the country following partition in 1947.

He cautioned that if attempts were made to isolate the minorities, there would be an adverse impact on the body politic of the country. Therefore, both the state as well as the Centre must strive to maintain communal harmony for the sake of minorities and for the sake of unity and integrity of the country as well, he maintained.

The AICC leader called upon the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments to rise to the occasion and protect the interests of the minorities even as he charged that the BJP Governments in Gujarat and at the Centre were in collusion with each other in failing to ensure the safety of life and property of the minorities.

Azad, however, refrained from demanding the dismissal of the Gujarat Ministry, saying while the observation of the National Minorities Commission that the Gujarat Government must be warned by the Centre to take necessary steps to provide security under Article 355 of theConstitution, the Gujarat administration must be given time to mend its ways.

While agreeing with the contention that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan has been active in different States stoking communal hatred, he however said there was no point in blaming the ISI for the failure of the BJP and other State Governments in maintaining law and order in the country.

“The Kashmir situation has not improved in recent years,” he said, adding in fact it has worsened after the BJP Government assumed charge. There are more foreign mercenaries on the Kashmir soil than before. India and Pakistan must between themselves set the agenda to hold talks to sort out the contentious issues without letting the superpowers determine how to solve the Kashmir problem, he said.