India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 23—After Union Home Minister Amit shah said that hate speeches by BJP leaders might have been responsible for poor performance of BJP in Delhi assembly elections, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari opines that those who give hate speeches be barred from contesting elections across party lines by bringing a law in this connection.
He made the remarks at an Idea Exchange event of The Indian Express.
In response to a question as to why Kapil Mishra who raised slogans like “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro saalon ko”, which is full of hatred, was fielded as BJP candidate, Tiwari said that it was not brought to his notice when he raised the communal slogan. “But I want that people who give hate speech should be permanently removed from the party”, he said.
He said that as an individual, he fully supported a system in which people who gave hate speeches should lose their right to contest elections.
To ensure that this was implemented across party lines, Tiwari said that a law should be made with regard to it.
Asked as to why did he not take action against such people in his own party, he said that taking action against one or two individuals would not serve the purpose. “Let there be a law to bar such people”, he advised. He said that the voters have already punished such people in Delhi elections.
On Shaheen Bagh protest issue, he said that BJP’s stand is same today as it was yesterday. “The BJP disagrees with those who have misguided innocent people and made them sit for protest in Shaheen Bagh”, Tiwari said.
When questioned why the BJP did not talk to protesters, Tiwari said that the protesters were invited by Ravi Shankar Prasad and Amit Shah but they did not turn up. (However, protesters say that they wanted to go to meet Amit Shah but were prevented by police).
Tiwari had earlier said that police had entered Jamia Millia Islamia while chasing the rioters but had not entered the library. When asked about a video in which policemen are seen badly beating students and damaging the library, he said that he had seen the video and demanded investigation into it. “If anyone is found acting against the law, action will be taken against them”, he said.
