Mr Pravin Togadia, nation wants inclusive politics not divisive

At a time when Union Minister Najma Heptulla is claiming that confidence of Muslims in the BJP is increasing due to its development-for-all agenda, Pravin Togadia, president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu wing of the RSS, has made yet another insensitive and divisive statement which will further alienate the community from the Narendra Modi Government.

Togadia's communal remark:

As per a Hindustan Times report, Togadia issued a veiled warning to the Muslims, against the backdrop of violence at a base camp of the Amarnath Yatra, saying they may have forgotten the 2002 Gujarat riots but would remember the Muzaffarnagar riots of last year.

"Aap Gujarat bhul gaye honge, par aapko Muzaffarnagar yaad hoga," said Togadia, while addressing a press conference at Indore on the World Hindu Congress Summit proposed to be held in New Delhi in November, 2014. Several people, mostly Muslims, were killed in 2002 Gujarat and 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

If you set Hanuman's tail on fire, Lanka will burn, said Togadia

Invoking the Ramayana to validate his point he said, "If you set Hanuman's tail on fire, Lanka will burn. The Godhra incident led to the Gujarat riots, and the alleged rape of a Hindu girl led to the Muzaffarnagar riots."

Togadia has done it in the past:

Togadia has a long standing history of making insensitive remarks against a particular community specifically Muslims. The Hindu extremist had in April suggested that Muslims shouldn't be allowed to buy property in Hindu areas.

Togadia's statement will certainly dampen the credibility of the BJP whom its opponents Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are blaming for inciting communal tensions in western Uttar Pradesh. This episode will give a useless opportunity to the opponents to badmouth the BJP and Centre.

Modi's emphatic win showed people voted for growth:

The BJP's thumping victory in the Lok Sabha polls shows that the nation voted for Narendra Modi's promise of development. Fed up with Congress and its allies' politics of appeasement the voters totally rejected the appeasement politics of such parties and welcomed Modi's development agenda.

Modi during his campaigning had asked the voters to neither vote on religious ground but based upon his track record as Chief Minister of Gujarat and the development work he pitched through the Gujarat model. People too welcomed Modi with open hands and votes for Modi-led BJP reflected the public mood in Modi's favour. Under Modi's courageous and fearless leadership people hoped India would touch new horizons and achieve new heights and that is why the BJP bagged 282 seats on its own.

It will dampen BJP's credibility:

But, statements from leaders like Togadia and that of VHP patron Ashok Singhal, when he termed BJP's victory in the general elections was a ‘setback to Muslim politics', will jeopardize the Government's bet to induce the sense of confidence amongst Muslims.

Modi-led NDA government bats for inclusive growth and development instead of politics of appeasement. Such statements will also flare the animosity between various communities, which are trying to tread the path of development together, peace and harmony under the new dispensation.

Time for Modi to walk the talk:

After Narendra Modi came to power people were optimistic that vote-bank politics syndrome, prevalent during the government prior to him, would become a thing of the past and that the dispensation will ensure inclusive growth, keeping the interests of every section in mind.

It is high time for Centre to walk the talk and start cracking the whip on extremists, if they are found giving divisive statements which disturbs India's communal harmony. They should be punished irrespective of their caste, religion, region and language.

Also, the Narendra Modi Government should make attempts to win hearts of the minority communities by giving their long pending dues and by ensuring that it doesn't merely end up doing appeasement politics like the erstwhile UPA government.