Journalism of Courage
The BJP demanded Monday Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde be sacked for writing to chief ministers to not detain innocent Muslims.
If Shinde had issued the letter without mentioning religion,it would not have been an issue. Had he used the word Indian,it would have been better. Shinde should be sacked with immediate effect for dividing the country on communal lines, party general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
The Home Minister appears ignorant of his oath of office, he said.
The oath bars differentiation between citizens on the basis of religion. Former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu alleged the Shinde letter was motivated by vote bank politics with an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections. This is influenced by politics. This is a ploy to draw minorities,this is a wrong thing done by the Union Home Minister, he said,asking the government to withdraw the letter. The Congress rejected the allegations. Party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said the letter was not Muslim appeasement.
A large number of Muslim organisations have made representations and expressed the apprehension that in certain states or in certain policy systems people are being targeted because they are Muslims and this tendency seems to be creating a sense of insecurity.
He has written to the states that we must respect this sentiment and ensure there is no witch hunt of any group,community,person. Wherever possible,fast-track courts or faster justice can be given and the guilty caught,so that a sense of security is re-established among all communities, he said.
Dikshit said: This is not a new thing. Muslim leaders and outfits have been talking about this for long. What Shinde has said reflects their sentiment,is not new.
