Bill to stop communal flare-ups will benefit everybody: Janardhana Poojary

In an attempt to silence the critics of Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary said it was inclusive and would benefit everybody. At a press conference, Poojary said: “It strengthens the federal character of India and emphasises the constitutional rights of movement from one state to another and enjoyment of all benefits of being a citizen of India. No individual, organisation or group can be deprived of constitutional rights based on regionalism, caste or community considerations.”

“It’s wrong to say that it is targeted against Hindus. There is no particular mention of any religion. The word ‘minority’ as mentioned in this bill has a vast connotation. It includes not just religious minorities but also linguistic and regional minorities,” he said.

“But Sangh Parivar activists are misinterpreting it as a draconian bill and harmful for the majority community in the country. They may be having their own political agenda by opposing it. But the bill has defined the term ‘minority’ in an inclusive manner,” he said. The bill mentions the state as a unit of the Federation of India where regionalism is growing at an alarming rate. There are interstate disputes of all kinds and there are chauvinistic groups harassing people moving.

If this bill is promulgated into an act of parliament, there would not be harassment of Kannadigas in Maharashtra. Their hotels and educational institutions will not be ravaged. There would not be fights between Biharis and Bengalis over jobs. Whoever unleashes violence will be charged under the act, he said.

It is not just Muslims and Christians that make up the minorities in India. It also includes Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis. In linguistic minorities, even upper class Hindus feature. “In the case of regional minorities, anybody living in another state becomes a minority. So where is the fear of the majority being suppressed,” he asked.