Team Herald
PANJIM : Rationalist writer Anand Teltumbde who was on the radar of Maharashtra police as a part of their anti-naxal operations, on Friday blamed the Congress party for the current actions of BJP, while cautioning the public that whichever party comes to power in 2019 election, it will take forward from what Narendra Modi will leave behind.
“Whatever BJP is doing today….to a large extent…the politics of Congress is responsible. In that sense Congress is not a clean party either,” Teltumbde said while delivering a public lecture on “Democracy, Dissent and Economic Growth”.
Stating that there is no short-term solution to the current political situation, Teltumbde said “after 2019 Parliament election, there is a danger that whichever party comes they will take it forward from there. There is nothing like we hope. We will have to continue our fight”.
Adding further he said “the only difference between Congress and BJP I can see is that Congress is a bunch of many types of people who came together to do something, whereas BJP is a kind of party, whose consistent focus since formation has been towards making India a Hindu nation”.
“BJP comprises of a kind of people with the aim, right from their formation they have been consistently growing without losing their momentum with their focus towards making India, a Hindu nation. They have been systematically working where the results would not be known now but after ten years. Their aim is Hindu nation,” he said.
Referring to the agenda of BJP during the forthcoming 2019 election, Teltumbde said “What BJP is going to do in 2019 elections, let me tell you. Either they will tell their people to expand the constituency or defeat the opponents. These are two strategies,” he said.
“What they are going to do can be seen. They have realized that if all opposition parties come together then they will lose. BJP is systematically breaking mahagathbandhan. It is systematically breaking one party every time by putting various pressures,” Teltumbde added.
He said that now BJP being in power and realizing that their goal is not in a touchable range, the saffron party seems to be in a hurry of doing all sort of things like rioting, gharwapasi, and asking people to go back to Pakistan. “BJP is very clear. Those who speak against the government, they will call them anti-nationals. They started it by attacking the educational institutions and then went on capturing other sectors,” the activist said.
Referring to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the writer said “whenever he feels that there is a decline in his popularity, he works out a plot, the plot to assassinate Modi.”
“Then he keeps on arresting people. This is the way how Modi government works,” he added.
Recalling 2002 Gujarat riot, Teltumbde said that when Modi became Gujarat CM he resorted to Godhra and Gujarat riots to create his political space in the State. “And that worked in his favour for nearly 12-13 years and continue to be even today,” he stated.
Speaking about the current political scenario, Teltumbde said the democracy is tortured, at present. “Indian politicians make tall claims that ours is world’s biggest democracy. Just like India, a total 117 countries in the world out of 191 claim to be democratic country but after a study we found that only 19 follow what is democracy and India is not part of it.”
The activist called India as the most unequal-society in the world, where we have overtaken even South Africa to occupy number one position. Teltumbde said that the profileration of reservation has resulted in caste politics being spread in the country. “That is why India is the most casteist country. The way it is casteist today, it was never in the past. You can witness results of such phenomenon during the elections,” he said.
Responding to a question as what he foresee the Government is up to with police action against the rationalist writers in the country, Teltumbde said “ I can only say that if this can be done to people like me… the way this system is operated that anybody amongst you would be arrested by police and connected to unlawful activity”.
