‘Hindu Rashtra’ apprehension is not unfounded, says Manish Tiwari

At the session, senior TV journalist Ravish Kumar questioned the need for mentioning religion in the new law when there was a provision of giving shelter to anybody under the previous one. “Tell the country what was the lacuna in the previous law in giving citizenship,” asked the Ramon Magsaysay Award winner.

Tiwari said that the foundation of the massacre and atrocities that took place in 1947 were laid long ago. “First of all, Hindu Mahasabha leader Bhai Parmanand had pointed out the theory of two nations (in India) in 1909, while in 1930, Muslim League’s Allama Iqbal had carried forward this theory,” he added.

According to the Congress leader, (Veer) Savarkar, after becoming president of the Hindu Mahasabha in 1937, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah of Muslim League supported the same theory of two nations.

“After the mandate of 2014 and 2019, the battle of 1947 has been started again. Those who could not win in 1947, they want to rewrite that story in 2019. If you see what’s happening for five years in the country with this perspective, then everything is clear. And that’s what is the perspective of this Citizenship Amendment Bill,” said Tiwari.

The Congress leader said that nationality can’t be based on religion in a secular country. “There is need to see the history keenly, but there is no need to be judgemental towards the history,” he added.

Ravish Kumar said that media in the country is currently not with the truth. “It has no courage. If the media doesn’t raise right questions then it shows its intentions that it was trying to kill the earned democracy of India,” he said. Taking on anchors of some TV channels, he said they were speaking the language of their media house-owners and they don’t have space for other opinions and dissenting voices. “Delhi has become the capital of falsehood. The falsehood is being spread day and night through TV channels,” he said, speaking at the session titled ‘Ek Aur Satyagraha Bharat Ki Atma Ke Liye’.

Moderator of the session, Lt Gen Z U Shah, said “dissent is not disloyality”. Academician Geeta Bhatt also spoke at the session.