JEDDAH: India’s former Cabinet minister and the most prominent Muslim in the predominantly Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, says those who call for the dismemberment of India will never be tolerated.
Speaking to a select group of journalists in Jeddah on Friday, Hussain was referring to the crisis at India’s famous Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) arising from the Narendra Modi government’s clampdown on freedom of expression and the right to dissent. “We have full freedom in India, but there is no freedom for anti-nationals.”
In this conversation, the BJP’s seasoned national spokesperson was combative in his sometimes flawed but otherwise outspoken defense of Prime Minister Modi.
Excerpts:
Q: What brings you to Saudi Arabia?
A: I am here as part of the official delegation to undertake the challenging task of finding long-term accommodation for Indian pilgrims in Makkah as directed by the Supreme Court of India. I am the chairman of the Long-Term Accommodation Committee (LTAC).
Q: What is happening at JNU? India seems to have been in ferment ever since Modi took up the reins of government?
A: In India, there is full freedom of expression but there is no freedom to declare rebellion against the country. Freedom of speech does not mean the freedom to air slogans such as, “We will dismember India,” “We will destroy India,” “We will smash India into a thousand pieces.” Even Kashmiris have never voiced such slogans. We will never allow Indian soil to be used for such anti-national sloganeering. Also, freedom of speech does not mean that people are allowed to voice slogans in support of those hanged after due judicial process by the Supreme Court of India. Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat were hanged during the time our rival Congress Party was in power. We are, therefore, saddened by the fact that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi came out in support of the rebellious students. He should not have done that.
Q: The video clip in which anti-national slogans were heard has turned out to be fake and this flies in the face of government propaganda against the agitating students.
A: Who says the video is fake?
Q: Some of the top and most credible Indian television channels, including ABP News, have aired this report.
A: You must wait for the police investigation. The Delhi police are the final authority. As to the authenticity and credibility of the video, we will have to go to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Hyderabad to establish the truth. If the video is indeed found to be doctored, then the law will take its course against those who are behind the alleged doctoring. All this will be for the investigating agencies to decide.
Q: Outside of India, there is an impression gaining ground that while the prime minister is assiduously promoting the “Make in India” campaign, his party colleagues and those affiliated with the wider Hindutva movement are busy manufacturing hate.
A: It is a fact that Prime Minister Modi is promoting the “Make in India” campaign with great vigor. And he has been very successful at it.
Q: What about the goons, such as Vikram Singh Chauhan, who was caught on national television bashing journalists and JNU students on court premises? Surely such behavior is not helping the prime minister, is it?
A: Chauhan does not belong to BJP. This talk about the so-called “Hate in India” campaign is your impression or your point of view. “Make in India” is making giant strides and it is attracting huge investments. Our economy is thriving despite the global downturn because of Modi’s extraordinary efforts. This entire campaign against our government is being engineered by those who were defeated in the 2014 general elections. Our rivals have still not been able to come to terms with their defeat. They have not been able to absorb the fact that Modi is now prime minister of India. There is complete peace in India.
Q: Complete peace?
A: Yes, total peace. There is no curfew anywhere. We are in a riot-free India. [This conversation took place on Friday and curfew was imposed in Haryana on Saturday]. Ever since the Modi government took office, there has been peace everywhere. Modi’s mantra is, “Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikaas,” which means support for everyone and development for all. In Modi’s eyes, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians are all Indians and he is the prime minister of all Indians.
Q: When you talk about total peace, what about the lynching in Dadri — the case in which an elderly Muslim man was killed by a mob of Hindus on the mere suspicion that he had beef in his house?
A: The Dadri lynching took place in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh Yadav is in charge in that north Indian state. As per our constitution, law and order is the responsibility of state governments. Modi has nothing to do with it. Why do you blame Modi for everything?
Q: Because outside India people know Modi is prime minister and these things are happening on his watch.
A: Dadri was a big failure on the part of Mulayam Singh. His secular face has been revealed. It is a shame that the UP government could not protect an innocent man. When the Gujarat riots happened in February 2002, everyone blamed Modi because he was chief minister of the state. If something goes wrong in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, then you can blame us.
Q: Fine. In BJP-ruled Maharashtra, Sudheendra Kulkarni, a close aide of your party stalwart L.K. Advani, was smeared with ink in full view of the public.
A: That is an individual incident and the law and order mechanisms in the state have taken, and will take, care of it. I repeat, law and order is a state responsibility and the federal government cannot interfere with the working of state government machinery.
Q: Hindutva elements, allied with your party, are queering the pitch for constructing a temple on the ruins of Babri Masjid and this is creating communal friction. What is your government’s stand?
A: The matter is before the court. India is a democracy and people have the right to make all kinds of demands. In the end, the law of the land shall prevail.
Q: So what you are saying is that the negative perception of the Modi government is misplaced?
A: Yes.
Q: Really?
A: Yes, it is our perception that the Modi government has improved the image of India globally. He has made successful visits to different parts of the world. His recent visit to the UAE was highly successful and we hope he will visit Saudi Arabia soon. This will take our relationship with Saudi Arabia to a new level. The improvement of ties between Saudi Arabia and India will have far-reaching effects, not just for India but for the entire Subcontinent. Our relationship with Saudi Arabia has special significance because of the three million highly skilled Indian expats here who provide significant foreign exchange for our exchequer.
Q: Indians often talk about the BJP’s only Muslim candidate losing parliamentary elections in Bihar in 2014 at a time when there was a massive wave of support for Modi. Do you see any irony in that?
A: I lost because I couldn’t campaign in my constituency.
Q: Final comments?
A: I want to repeat that the Narendra Modi government believes in providing equal opportunities for all Indians, regardless of caste, creed or religion. We want good relations with Pakistan, but acts of terrorism run counter to talk of peace. We would only say to them that they cannot — and should not — run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
