New Delhi: Ruing that his party is giving a "muted response" to the challenge of communalism in Narendra Modi-ruled Gujarat, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar today said the communal contagion has also "infected" his own party men in the state.
"Instead of a robust response coming from the Congress party which I would like to see, we have a muted response, we really need to stand up and be counted and say as Nehru said I
don't care how many elections I lose, but we have to stand up for the secular principles which is the basis of Indian nationhood. That is the basis on which we should campaign in Gujarat and not see whether we can win the 2012 elections or not," Mr Aiyar told NDTV tonight.
He said there is something sick in creating a society in which it is regarded as politically incorrect to be secular. "Communalism has spread so far in Gujarat that it also infected members of my party," Aiyar said recalling that he wanted to campaign for his party in Godhra during the 2002 elections but was told not to do so when he had reached the
airport on 6th December, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.
"I land in Ahmedabad and my party people say it is better for you to stay in your hotel. I went out to attend a meeting and someone said don't use the word secularism. I think there
is something sick in creating a society in which it is regarded as politically incorrect to be secular," Mr Aiyar said.
Responding to questions of fear in Congress over Narendra Modi becoming a national leader in BJP, he said that the fear of Mr Modi is much more pronounced in the saffron party than in
Congress ranks.
"Instead of a robust response coming from the Congress party which I would like to see, we have a muted response, we really need to stand up and be counted and say as Nehru said I
don't care how many elections I lose, but we have to stand up for the secular principles which is the basis of Indian nationhood. That is the basis on which we should campaign in Gujarat and not see whether we can win the 2012 elections or not," Mr Aiyar told NDTV tonight.
He said there is something sick in creating a society in which it is regarded as politically incorrect to be secular. "Communalism has spread so far in Gujarat that it also infected members of my party," Aiyar said recalling that he wanted to campaign for his party in Godhra during the 2002 elections but was told not to do so when he had reached the
airport on 6th December, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.
"I land in Ahmedabad and my party people say it is better for you to stay in your hotel. I went out to attend a meeting and someone said don't use the word secularism. I think there
is something sick in creating a society in which it is regarded as politically incorrect to be secular," Mr Aiyar said.
Responding to questions of fear in Congress over Narendra Modi becoming a national leader in BJP, he said that the fear of Mr Modi is much more pronounced in the saffron party than in
Congress ranks.
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