New Delhi: A day after Union Minister Satya Pal Singh Baghel's controversial statement on "tolerant Muslims", former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung said his remarks were 'unfortunate', 'laughable', and not in the interest of the country.
On Monday, Baghel claimed that "tolerant Muslims can be counted on fingers" and it too "was a tactic to lead a public life wearing a mask" as it leads to vice-president, governor, or vice-chancellor posts. "It's a laughable statement, and such statements are not in the interest of the country or the society," Jung said while speaking to ETV Bharat.
Such statements, he said, were "against the constitutional values and he should have been more cautious and should have thought more before saying anything like this." Jung is among the five Muslim intellectuals who are in talks with the RSS and met RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat last year against the backdrop of rising anti-Muslim cases and communal disharmony.
Asked to comment on the status of these meetings and whether they have led to any results, Jung replied, "You cannot expect big developments in a couple of meetings. It will take time, so whether we have five or seven meetings, only time will tell. And then, what will emerge from these meetings also needs to be seen. It is clear from Mr. Bhagwat's statements and from the other senior people that the country needs harmony. And when people make such a statement, this only spoils the atmosphere."
Asked if more such meetings are slated, Jung replied, "You can expect more meetings; what's the harm in that? And I am not going to share what is happening behind the curtains. But you can take it from me that these meetings will continue, and we will endeavor to chalk out a forward path of communal harmony."
On the "Kerala Story" row, which has now become a new bone of contention between the BJP and the non-BJP-ruled states after Mamta Banerjee banned its screening in Bengal while Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh made it tax-free, Jung replied, "These are elements who want to disturb the society. Whether it was 'The Kashmir Files', or now "The Kerala Story', or tomorrow there would be "The Delhi Files', or "The UP Files', it's just that you pick and choose a handful of people to create discord. But the people of this country are wise. We have survived 75 years in a secular environment, and nobody can snatch it from us. And this secular environment goes back many years, despite many Rajas and political parties being communal, but India remains secular."
"In India, there are 80% of Hindus. If people had followed these people or listened to such things, wouldn't India have become like Pakistan or Afghanistan? But we are not like that. Let these handfuls of people spoil the environment", Jung added.
Similarly, Mahmood Madani, president of the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind (Madani faction) and a former Rajya Sabha MP took a jibe at BJP and said, "The best reply to this statement can only come from Kerala's Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. People highly respect Arif Sahib and he is viewed as the most prominent and tolerant Indian Muslim. But from this statement, it seems that they are removing a mask from Arif Sahib's face. It's an insult to Arif Sahb, he should give a reply to this."
On 'The Kerala Story' row, Madani said, "These people are systematically trying different ways to defame Muslims at different events. When something is shown here against Hinduism or Hindu culture, first it is balanced, and then shown, it is not imposed on us. But in the case of Muslims, the entire movie is projected in anti-Mulsim rhetoric and is being imposed on us. Even PM Modi is appreciating this movie. So what can you say about this?"
