Hate speeches: Speakers must be punished, U'khand Dharma Sansad no exception, says RSS leader
New Delhi, Feb 3: Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar has condemned the alleged hate speeches against minorities at a recent Dharma Sansad in Haridwar and said all those who make provocative and divisive remarks should be punished as per law without any exception.
In an interview with PTI, he termed the politics of hate as corruption and called all political parties and their leaders to refrain from indulging in hate-mongering and pitting one section of the society against the other.
Instead of making provocative and divisive remarks against any community, caste or group, they should practice politics of brotherhood and development in the best interest of the country and its people, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) national executive member said.
Any kind of hate speech is condemnable. All hate speeches must be condemned and punished as per law. Nobody should be treated as an exception, he said when asked for his view on the alleged hate speeches delivered at a Dharma Sansad in Uttarakhand's Haridwar and a similar event in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur recently.
Kumar said there are multiple examples of cruel hate speeches and insisted that it is the need of the hour to take legal action against all such divisive acts as they vitiate the atmosphere of the country.
He slammed the Congress and other opposition parties for blaming the RSS and its ideology for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, saying that they were levelling baseless allegations even as they do not have any proof to substantiate their charge.
For more than 60 years, we have been hearing that the RSS and its ideology were behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. A ban was also imposed on the Sangh. But the Congress and other parties could not prove it (the allegation) even after they remained in power for so many years, he said.
Their baseless and unfounded allegations against the RSS also amount to a cruel hate speech, he charged and asked why no action had been taken against them so far.
Kumar also trained guns on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks that a Hindutvawadi' had shot Mahatma Gandhi dead.
Now, he says Hindutvawadis got Gandhi killed. It is also a hate speech, the RSS leader said without naming Rahul Gandhi.
He argued that unfounded allegations that create hatred against one section of people or an organization should also be considered as hate speeches .
All hate speeches should be looked at through the same prism. We cannot make a distinction between one set of action or speech with the other while both are same in its nature and essence hateful, provocative and divisive, he said.
Action should be taken against all those who deliver hate speeches, no matter how big and influential they are or which party or group they belong to. It is the need of the hour, he added.
Kumar is also the founder of the Sangh's affiliate Muslim Rashtriya Manch whose stated objective is to bring Muslims closer to Hindus. To reach out to the Christian community, he founded another outfit, Christian Rashtriya Manch, a few years ago on the lines of the RSS' Muslim wing.
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, both the RSS-backed outfits are canvassing for the BJP in the poll-bound states.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
ALSO READ: Budget session: Law Min. HK Patil introduces Microfinance bill in Karnataka assembly
“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
