Congress president Sonia Gandhi will lead her party’s protest march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday against “rising intolerance” during the BJP-led government’s tenure. The party on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his barbs at the Congress over anti-Sikh riots in 1984. Congress leaders said the march on Tuesday would include party vice president Rahul Gandhi, members of the Congress Working committee, party office-bearers and party MPs. The march will start from Parliament House and party leaders are expected to give a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee to convey their concern on “rising intolerance”.The price rise issue may also figure during the protest march, a party leader said. Sonia Gandhi met the president on Monday evening but party sources termed it as “personal” meeting. The meeting came on a day Modi targeted Sonia Gandhi, saying Congress leaders had no right to talk about tolerance when they were involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Accompanied by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other party leaders, Sonia Gandhi accused the “ruling BJP” of abetting an “atmosphere of fear, intolerance and intimidation in the country”. She took strong exception to silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing that his inaction clearly conveyed the impression that he condones all that has been happening. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi on Friday also said intolerance is on the rise and there is a “dialogue deficit” between the government and its people. The debate swirling around “rising intolerance” intensified after incidents like the murder of rationalists and mob killings over beef-eating or cow slaughter rumours, attack on low caste Dalits and oppositionto the freedom of expression. Unfortunately instead of listening to the voices of ‘NO’ to the intolerance being perpetuated by hot headed and jingoistic Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP, Mr Modi fired back at critics and claimed that every thing was normal and there was no issue of intolerance. His Finance Minister Arun Jaitley went a step further questioning “where isintolerance?” These statements are a clear testimony that either the incidents of intolerance are taking place with the tacit approval of the Prime Minister or he has come in the trap of Shiv Sena. We would emphasise that being Prime Minister of a major South Asian country, Mr Narendra Modi should assert and act like a true leader to bring sanity in the society, as prestige of his own and honour of his country are at stake.
pk.shafaqna.com
