BackFringe elements put BJP in a bind
Alliance members caution party that actions by right-wing groups are hurting government's image
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New Delhi: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with several senior cabinet ministers moved to defuse the fallout from the incident of lynching in Dadri, members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the Shiromani Akali Dal, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), cautioned the government that inclement actions by right-wing fringe groups are hurting the image of the alliance government.
In a bid to address the growing disquiet, Arun Jaitley, Union finance minister told reporters on Tuesday, “All right-thinking sections will have to distance themselves from these kind of methodologies. Same standard of civility applies to all. We have a tradition of civility in conveying those different opinions, particularly because some of these issues are extremely serious."
Senior NDA leaders believe that incidents like Dadri, where a mob had killed 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq on 28 September on suspicion that his family ate beef, would also serve up a fresh agenda to the opposition in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.
“It is time that all NDA members should come out and speak against such incidents. The opposition parties continue to unite against the NDA but these incidents must stop. After the statement by prime minister and now finance minister, no such incident has taken place," said a senior leader of NDA.
Last week, the government again faced severe criticism after Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP, blackened the face of former BJP member Sudheendra Kulkarni for organizing an event to launch a book authored by Pakistan’s former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri. On Monday, members of the Shiv Sena ransacked the office of BCCI and threatened a Pakistani cricket umpire to leave the country.
The row over beef ban in Jammu and Kashmir has also caused tensions between the BJP and the PDP which jointly rule the state. While the PDP says that prohibition cannot be accepted, the BJP is keen for pressing a strict implementation of the prohibitory rule. Union minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, a senior leader of the TDP, has called the Dadri incident unfortunate, adding that a mechanism should be “put in place" to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to unite all opposition parties against the BJP-led NDA to pressurize them to act against individuals, groups and organizations that are behind these incidents. “We are not satisfied with the statement of finance minister," said Anand Sharma, senior Congress leader.
Political analysts feel the BJP leadership will find it difficult to contain the fringe groups.
“Some see Hindutva as a cultural identity while some people think it is parochial. All views were taken along by BJP leadership during the general elections and now, it will be difficult to control these people who have narrow views on issues," said Jai Mrug, Mumbai-based political analyst.
PTI contributed to this story
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