Humiliation of minorities will weaken idea of India: Manish Tewari

Congress Party leader and former minister Manish Tewari on Wednesday said that the unfortunate anti-minority community statements being made by some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders would weaken the idea of India in the long term.

Commenting on a BJP MLA's demand for banning the entry of Muslim men at Garbha venues, Tewari told ANI, "There is a synchretic culture of India. When Hindus participate in Muslim festivals; Muslims participate in Hindu festivals, Hindus and Muslims participate in Sikh festivals, this composite culture of India, this synchretic ethos of India gets strengthened. The idea of India gets far more vigour and robustness. Therefore, statements when they are made by people which have the clear object of trying to some manner diminishing and humiliating the minorities, treating them with contempt ignominiously, it only weakens the idea of India. It doesn't strengthen the idea of India."

"That is unfortunately what the BJP is trying to do; is to weaken the idea of India, which has been the sine qua non of the civilization for the last five thousand years," he added.

In order to restrict Muslim men from luring Hindu girls and converting them to Islam and change the population ratio in the country, a BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh has reportedly directed her party workers to ensure that Muslim youth don't enter Garbha venues in her constituency during the annual Navdurga Festival.