Teesta Setalvad seeks effective ban on Ayodhya tape

Human rights activist and convenor of NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace, Teesta Setalvad, has asked the Maharashtra government to properly implement the ban on a provocative cassette on the disputed site in Ayodhya.

“Some groups are still deliberately playing the cassette, ‘Mandir hum wahi banayenge’, which is not authorised for sale in Maharashtra. This is hurting the sentiments of the minority. The state government must ensure the ban is enforced properly and no one is allowed to play that cassette,” she said during a talk on ‘Keeping with peace’, organised by Open Space on Friday.

Speaking to DNA, she claimed the cassette, which was banned in 2009, is still available in the market and playing of the provocative cassette means that it’s a deliberate attempt to destroy communal harmony.

“We need to have collaboration and dialogue with people from different communities so that communal harmony can be maintained and riots avoided. Groups trying to rake up communal tensions must be shunned,” she added.

Speaking highly of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, she said everyone should learn from his respect for women and children and how he had the maximum number of Muslim generals in his army.

She said, “There are examples of communal harmony that our ancestors have left for us and we should follow them. We must focus on growth and prosperity of the nation rather than indulging in violence as the most affected group belongs to the minorities.”

She said, “The loss of property in areas like Dhule alone was more than Rs40 crore. This loss badly affected the minorities, leaving them to die of poverty.”