Take action against hate speech makers irrespective of party, religious affiliation: JIH

Latching onto the Supreme Courts recent remarks on hate speech, a Delhi-based socio-religious organisation on Saturday alleged that it seemed the silence of governments on the issue was emboldening people indulging in such acts.Addressing a press conference here, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind JIH Vice-President Salim Engineer urged governments to take action against such people irrespective of the party or religion they might belong to.He also said many people were using hatred or agenda of hatred, seeking political future or fast political growth even as he appealed to the Election Commission of India to take serious cognisance of the matter.

Latching onto the Supreme Court's recent remarks on hate speech, a Delhi-based socio-religious organisation on Saturday alleged that it seemed the ''silence of governments'' on the issue was ''emboldening'' people indulging in such acts.

Addressing a press conference here, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Vice-President Salim Engineer urged governments to take action against such people irrespective of the party or religion they might belong to.

He also said many people were using ''hatred or agenda of hatred, seeking political future or fast political growth'' even as he appealed to the Election Commission of India to take ''serious cognisance'' of the matter. ''The Supreme Court has emphasised that governments should act as per laws against hate speeches being made. The apex court can only lay emphasis or point towards it but we feel the attitudes of governments towards hate speeches and those who make them is very disappointing,'' Engineer told reporters without specifying which governments he was referring to. People in Delhi, the national capital, those elected to Parliament, who are people's representatives, are ''openly'' indulging in such acts in public, ''spreading hatred and creating a divide in society on religious lines'', he said without naming anyone.

Senior BJP leader and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma had recently courted controversy after he allegedly called for a ''total boycott'' of a community at an event held to protest against the killing of a Hindu youth in northeast Delhi. He had not named the community.

A number of leaders, including BJP lawmakers and many religious leaders, have been accused of making hate speeches.

An anguished Supreme Court in late October had observed that ''where have we reached in the name of religion, what have we reduced religion to is tragic,'' and asked three states, including Uttar Pradesh, to crack down hard on those making hate speeches, calling them shocking for a country that is religion-neutral.

Holding that the Constitution of India envisages a secular nation, the court had directed Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to promptly register criminal cases against the offenders without waiting for a complaint to be filed.

Engineer alleged that ''many cases have been seen lately, but the actions of governments have been disappointing''.

''Rather, it feels, the silence of the governments is emboldening such people. They are getting emboldened,'' he said.

''Those who are doing such acts are hoping to get a political advantage. And their hopes are not misplaced. Political growth of such people who have indulged in hate speeches have been swift,'' the JIH vice-president claimed.

''We urge the Election Commission (of India) to take serious cognisance of this matter. And governments, whose job is to maintain law and order, to take actions against such people irrespective of the party or religion they may belong to,'' Engineer said. Citing Article 341, Engineer said according to one of its clauses the Scheduled Caste status of a citizen is ''taken away'' if a Dalit converted to a religion other than Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

This clause is ''discriminatory'', he alleged, and said it should be removed in the spirit of democracy.

''The SC (Scheduled Caste) status is given to a person as Dalits have been historically subjected to exploitation and just because someone chooses to have a different faith as per the Constitutional norms and his personal will, that status is taken away. Is it correct?'' he asked. On the Centre's appointment of a commission headed by former Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan to examine the matter of giving Scheduled Caste status to the people who, despite being historically belonging to Scheduled Caste communities, couldn't find themselves enlisted due to their conversion to religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, he said, ''We hope our voices will reach the head of the commission.'' Engineer also spoke on electoral funding during the press conference at JIH headquarters in Okhla.

He claimed that in the general elections of 2019, several thousands of crores was spent by different parties and candidates and that it was the ''costliest election'' in the world.

Of this amount, a third was spent on ''publicity and campaigns'' and a over a fourth on ''wooing voters'', he claimed.

Engineer demanded that parties' funding processes should be made as transparent as possible and people be made aware of that and demanded that the records should not just be in the papers. He also urged the Election Commission of India to look into it.

Another JIH member pointed out a few ''issues'' on the latest National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

''The NCF was made in coordination with NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) and not fully by it. Though it talks of foundational education, the pre-primary facilities in India are very less in the government sector and mainly the private sector (is) offering it,'' he claimed.

He also claimed that ''mythology'' was being introduced along with ''Indian culture'' via the framework.

''We have made a panel of experts, who have examined the NCF and we will send our recommendations to the (Union) Ministry of Education by mid-November,'' the JIH member said.