Share your secret info about plans to ‘incite riots’ with Home Minister: P Chidambaram to Sitharaman


New Delhi, Jul 14 (NIE): A day after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused the Congress of spreading communal disharmony in the country ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took a jibe at the minister saying she has all the time in the world to inquire into the religious affiliations of parties and persons. The former finance minister took to Twitter to counter her accusations and said, “After taming Pakistan, eliminating terrorism, stopping infiltration and acquiring Rafale aircraft, the Defence Minister has all the time in the world to inquire into the religious affiliations of parties and persons!”

In another tweet, Chidambaram asked the defence minister to ‘share the secret info on plans to incite riots’ with the Home Minister.

He was responding to Sitharaman’s remarks on Friday blaming the Congress party of playing up the religion card ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In her statement to reporters, she had said, “Congress party is playing a dangerous game, playing communal division, playing up the card of religion. It is frightening that it may lead to the kind of division and kind of communal disharmony that prevailed during the 1947 partition. Congress party shall be solely responsible if any disharmony plays out between now and the 2019 elections.”

She further added: “We think Congress is getting back at this Divide India mindset. It is clear that 2019 election, they want to contest it at dharm ki aadhaar par (on the basis of religion). Its foundation has been laid.”

The BJP leader had quoted a report from Inquilab, alleging that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had in an interaction with Muslim intellectuals on Wednesday told the gathering that “Congress is a Muslim party”.

Sitharaman also attacked the Congress saying that earlier the party had claimed that Gandhi was a janeu-dhari (one who wears the sacred thread). But she pointed out that, “You can’t be janeu-dhari at one point and Muslim-dhari at another… This is playing with the people’s trust.”

Meanwhile, historian Syed Irfan Habib, who was present at the gathering of Muslim intellectuals on Wednesday, denied that the Rahul Gandhi made any such remark. “There was no issue of this nature raised, neither by the people present over there nor by Rahul Gandhi himself. It is just a figment of imagination of all those who want to give it a twist because they are doing it for their own political advantage. There is nothing at all. There is no basis at all,” Habib had told The Indian Express.

The Congress had reacted sharply to Sitharaman’s comments and accused her of saying things that create tension in the society and avoiding real issues. Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said, “Sitharaman is a responsible Defence Minister and her statement today is clearly in line with Prime Minister Modi’s agenda of polarising this country. We are days away from the monsoon session of Parliament where the government has absolutely no answers about the complete mess they have made in J&K, no answers on price rise, fuel price hikes and agrarian distress, it is expected of the Defence Minister to take up issues unnecessarily to create a controversy and move away from the real issues.”

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • cyril mathias, udupi

    Sun, Jul 15 2018

    China has already occupied Indian territory in Doclam,and militants are targeting Kashmir,the Defense Minister is pointing the gun towards Congress. She must focus on real issues that threaten the country. .Work more talk less dear Defense Minister

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Declan, Mumbai

    Sun, Jul 15 2018

    Riots are already happening. Lynchings are nothing but mini riots.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Declan, Mumbai

    Sun, Jul 15 2018

    The bigotry foundation has already been laid by the BJP. So inciting riots means just lighting the match as the petrol has already been poured all over. Nirmala is just part of the BJP and following her high command orders. She is free as there are no opening ceremonies to attend nowadays. lol !

    DisAgree Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • prem, moodbidri

    Sun, Jul 15 2018

    Nirmalakka says "Congress is playing Religion card"...… hahaha.... !!!

    DisAgree Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • SMR, Karkala

    Sun, Jul 15 2018

    Only weeks ago, the dangerous plan of the BJP when it reported an incredibly polarising statement made by one of the saffron party spokespersons, Sambit Patra.

    This was after Patra stunningly claimed that his party candidate’s defeat in Kairana bypolls was the defeat of Hindus and victory of Muslims. While taking part in a live TV debate on News24, Patra told the show’s anchor, Manak Gupta, “If one religious group (Muslims) decides to polarise, then other group (Hindus) too will polarise. This shouldn’t happen but if one group has voted en masse for a particular candidate, then please mark my words, this will have its effect across India.”

    In his opinion piece, had argued that Patra had the habit of uttering things that the higher echelon of his party would not publicly utter for the fear of public reprisals. In other words, Patra’s seemingly bizarre utterances are often prompted by a shrewd political design, to extract the much-needed electoral advantage. His stocks within the saffron party have skyrocketed in the recent months, particularly after he was made an independent director in the government-owned ONGC.

    Few weeks later, BJP President Amit Shah and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appear to have finally given the party’s official approval to what Patra had stated on a TV channel last month.

    This was after Sitharaman told a news conference, “Congress party shall be solely responsible if any disharmony plays out between now and 2019 elections.”

    Independent analysts are almost unanimous that, faced with huge anti-incumbency and the challenge of a united opposition, the BJP may repeat Gujarat to dangerously communalise the elections. It had taken a 2002 anti-Muslim riots for Modi to cement his position as CM indefinitely before he staked his claim for India’s PM. This time around, the shrewd politician from Gujarat faces an existential crisis. You can only imagine his desperation to win the next Lok Sabha elections.

    BJP’s dangerous agenda for 2019?
    JH

    DisAgree Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • 57"Chest, Mangalore

    Sun, Jul 15 2018

    BJP doesn't have quality ministers despite having a large number of followers with doctors, doctorates and foriegn educated personnel as seen here. We don't see this in any other party. Any difference between, Parikkar, Sitharaman, Jaitley, Modi, Sushma. Country will run much better without thier presence on its own strength.

    DisAgree Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • ca girishkk, m'lore/dxb

    Sat, Jul 14 2018

    Irresponsible statement by honorable Defense Minister...., In the end..., BJP is dividing Hindus while attacking Congress & Gandhi Family..., BJP think tank is totally suffer from Congi / Gandhi phobia from top to bottom.....!!!!!

    bhakt's are in hysteria mode....!!!

    jh
    jai ho...,

    DisAgree Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • Suraj, Mangalore/Dubai

    Sat, Jul 14 2018

    I know its not fair to judge a person without knowing the facts....but this lady seems to be spitting venom by mixing religion with politics.....it's a shame on India to have her as a Defence Minister....Is she qualified to hold that post ? the political system in India has become a joke and we the citizens are forced to accept it.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Robotkem, Kemmannu

    Sat, Jul 14 2018

    Madam DF NIRMAL(A) , is it possible TO DIVIDE SITHA(SEETHA) and RAMA(N)!!!
    EVEN Mr. CHIDAMBARAM CAN'T DIVIDE "SEETHARAMA'!!!

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • mohan, Mangalore

    Sat, Jul 14 2018

    From years BJP is done the same thing ....so they know it very well ... now in fears they just blaming Congress to hide their hidden work..

    DisAgree Agree [23] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Sat, Jul 14 2018

    Sitharaman is too innocent to incite Riots ...

    DisAgree [1] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: Share your secret info about plans to ‘incite riots’ with Home Minister: P Chidambaram to Sitharaman



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.