Yashwant Sinha, the opposition candidate for the Presidential elections and former Union minister on Sunday said the Karnataka BJP government is trying to communalise the minds of young students with a new school curriculum.
Sinha was in Bengaluru to meet Congress MLAs to canvas support for the presidential polls on July 17.
“The government in Karnataka has been attempting to communalise minds of the young generation by introducing a new school curriculum coloured by the ruling party’s ideological agenda. I condemn this,” he said referring to huge protests over school textbook revisions by the committee headed by Rohit Chakrathirtha.
Sinha urged his rival, Droupadi Murmu the BJP’s candidate in the elections to take a pledge that she will not to be a “silent or a rubber stamp Rashtrapati” and restrain outrageously undemocratic practices like “Operation Kamala” and declare to speak against any attempts aimed at communal polarisation and also defend the Freedom of Speech and Press, and other rights and freedoms granted by the Constitution of India.
If elected, Sinha said that he too will answer only to “the Constitution and to the Constitution alone.”
Further accusing the government at the Centre, Sinha said they are “misusing” central government agencies to target anyone who speaks against the regime. “The Centre has weaponised the ED, CBI, Income Tax, Election Commission and even the governor’s office against opposition parties, their functionaries and their governments to fix political opponents.” He added that the only reason do this was to “insult” them.
He questioned whether this is democracy? Citing examples of recent governments being toppled in Maharashtra by facilitating the “kidnapping” of Shiv Sena legislators and ferrying them to Gujarat and Assam, both BJP-ruled states, besides those in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh
“Democracy is being assailed and attacked and is unacceptable,” he added.
The retired civil servant also said the Supreme Court and the judiciary of the country are being heavily trolled and abused using the “filthiest” of language for their observations made against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Noting the same BJP supporters who hailed the SC for its Ram Janmabhoomi verdict are now supporters are trolling the Court for condemning her remarks, Sinha said, “The Top Court made a stinging indictment of Nupur Sharma’s remarks on the Prophet, saying ‘Your loose tongue set the nation on fire’. Regrettably, BJP supporters are trolling the honourable Supreme Court for condemning her remarks.”
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Rabia Shireen is a Staff Reporter at The Cognate.
