Katheria hate speech: Where was this anger when Hindu women were molested in Haryana, asks Owaisi

The murder of VHP leader Arun Kumar Mahore in Agra even though it has been solved has refused to die down, and now controversial statements by BJP and other right-wing organisations are only stoking further controversy. In his show News Today, Rajdeep Sardesai posed several question to his panelists: When will such hate speeches be condemned and people be made accountable and brought to book? The questions that arise in this context are - why do union ministers dish out hate speeches and why is there not enough done to rein in the motor mouths? Why are such ministers, who in many ways violate the law of the land allowed to continue and are they not spoiling the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. The panelists included Zafar Islam of the BJP, Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress, Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM and senior lawyer Dushyant Dave. Isolating the party from the statements made by Katheria, Zafar Islam said that the BJP has already clarified its stand and a report has been sought from the minister. "Any member who does cross the line has been and will always be reprimanded by the party. Unfortunately, when Imran Masood passed derogatory language against the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi not only did not condemn the act, but also went ahead and campaigned for him," said Islam. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, however, slammed the government for trying to communalise the entire situation and said that Katheria's speech was a rabid, provocative and divisive speech. "This is a union minister we are talking about, and this is not an isolated case, this is just a continuation of the template set by Sadhvi Maharaj and Sakshi Jyoti, and his met by eloquent silence by the Prime Minister," said the Congress spokesperson Singhvi. Responding to the question on Imran Masood, Singhvi said, "Two wrongs do not make a right. Masood was ostracized. The campaign which Rahul Gandhi went for was held much later, and we condemned the statement." Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the government and asked, "Where was this anger for Hindu Samaj when Hindus were murdered and women were molested in Haryana?" Senior Lawyer Dushyant Dave said, "PM and BJP should introspect and stop the kind of statement which was made by a Member of State, but unfortunately we are a majoritarian state where majority escapes and minority is caught."   India Today