Jammu, February 24: India is facing a situation where the forces within have become more dangerous than the outside enemy trying to inflict numerous cuts to the social fabric to gain political mileage.
At this juncture India needs leaders who have administrative acumen, political uprightness and oratory skills to lead the nation to peace progress and development and at the same time expose the propaganda of hatred launched by the vested interests to malign this country.
While India has selfless leaders like Nerendra Modi and Manohar Parikar the classic example of oratory skills lie with the HRD Minister Smriti Irani who has displayed the skills time and again with nobody daring to confront to her solid arguments.
Her oratory was on full display today when she tore apart the onslaught of the Opposition in parliament and its false propaganda outside forcing the opposition to hide behind the garb of democratic walk out only to save themselves from replying to her arguments based on pure evidence.
Here we represent a part of her arguments which made the opposition speechless with no alternative but to walk out.
“Listen to what I have to say. You accuse us of being intolerant, be tolerant. I am giving my answer. Or do I claim to be a victim of my circumstances and say that I am married to a micro-minority family. I am a woman, and hence you did not allow me to speak in this House. Do not play politics with me.
Those seeking response on an issue are specifically the ones who ask for personal favours, for example, to get their kids’ admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya.
Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao had written a letter, saying that there is a need for justice in Hyderabad University. He said that it was under the rule of the vice-chancellor, which was appointed by the UPA government) where Dalit students were committing suicide. Rao had urged me to take action and launch a probe.
As soon as I got the news of Rohith Vemula’s suicide, I called KCR [chief minister of Telangana], only to plead that the law and order situation should be under control. I was told, “Sir is busy right now.” I never issued a public statement against the chief minister thinking that he will call back, but he never called back. But I have a call record. I even spoke to his daughter.
I issued several letters in reply to Rao’s letters. An idea has been created that the HRD minister responds only to government ministers. I have always tried to resolve issues irrespective of the complainant’s caste, creed or religion.
I am not going to apologise for doing my duty. If you want to leave, you may do so. You never wanted to listen to my response, you never had the intention to do so.
You don’t have the courage to listen to what I have to say. You just want to do your politics. Listen to what I have to say, if you have the courage to do so.
Asaduddin Owaisi and I are political opponents. He had once written a letter to me, I responded to it accordingly. Am I being condemned only because my department had issued a letter? I was just doing my duty.
Oomen Chandy, Shashi Tharoor also sent letters to me, and we responded immediately. Today, I am being accused of discrimination? Even I can do the same.
Political parties are busy trying to use the death of a child [Rohith Vemula] as a political weapon. The committee which suspended Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula was not constituted by our government, but by the UPA regime.
I looked at the case as the death of a child and not as a death of a Dalit.
My name is Smriti Irani. I challenge you to identify my caste.
I am enraged by the manner in which a child’s death (Rohith Vemula) is being used as a political weapon.
I am taking it personally. I’ll tell you how the entire incident has been used as a political tool.
On JNU row
The slip clearly says that Umar Khalid, one student, wanted to book the venue from 5 pm to 7.30 pm for the night. The form asks what is the purpose of booking the venue. He says poetry reading. The form asks whether any special arrangement is required. He says electricity for mike. Very well, the university gives him the permission. What transpired later has been question marked by many people. They said – Arrey yeh jhoota hai, woh jhoota [He lied, they lied]. Tariq Anwar said: Let the university carry out its investigation, and then let the police come. This paper is the report of the security department of the university, dated February 11, 2016. In this, 35 security personnel and 3 female guards gave their statement with their signatures. They said that at 16.45 pm, the personnel reached the venue. 38 people have given their response. They are part of the security of the university, and not the police. They say – “The crowd started to swell. Umar and Anirban stood there. ‘Afzal Guru, Maqbool Bhat zindabad’, ‘Kashmir ki azadi tak jung rahegi’, ‘Bharat ki barbaadi tak jung rahegi’, ‘jis Kashmir ko khoon se seencha, woh Kashmir humara hai’, ‘hum kya maange azadi, bandook se lenge azadi’, ‘go India, go back’, ‘Indian Army murdabad’. There were a few people present there with this face hidden with cloth.
This is not a video, not a police, not an Arnab Goswami, this is the report of the security personnel who do not have connection with the government.