JOIN USIf Amnesty is 'anti-national', why didn't Centre act, Dinesh dares BJP
State Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao has questioned why the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre had not taken action against Amnesty International India if the advocacy group was involved in “anti-national” activities.
Addressing reporters here on Monday, he said the BJP came to power at the Centre more than two years ago. “The party’s government could have taken appropriate action if the non-governmental organisation was involved in anti-national activities.
It shows that the BJP and its student wing (ABVP) in Karnataka are misusing for political gains the controversy on the recent programme organised by Amnesty in Bengaluru,” he asserted.
The BJP and the ABVP are trying to “whip up” emotions by projecting Amnesty as “anti-national”. They “twisted” the statement of Home Minister G Parameshwara and suggested that the Congress was “supporting those who are against the nation”. The Home minister merely said that he did not believe that Amnesty conducted any seditious activity, Rao said and demanded that the BJP provide proof of Amnesty being an “anti-national” organisation.
The Congress leader also refuted the charge that police caned ABVP protesters. They (police) only prevented them from barging into Amnesty’s office in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. Some protesters were carrying petrol bottles, so police prevented them from creating a law and order problem. Students should be “careful” about the ABVP, it is “misusing” them, Rao said.
Meanwhile, Parameshwara said that he had not given a clean chit to Amnesty. Speaking to a news agency on Monday, he refuted media reports that he gave a clean chit to the advocacy group. “All I said is that I have not heard Amnesty International being involved in anti-national activity. There is an investigation going on, and I am not a fool to say that everything is well,” he said.
“The (police) commissioner has made a statement which will be on record. It is left to the police and the IO (Investigating Officer) to take action accordingly — whether to close the case, whether to take it forward ... I am not going to interfere in that.”
Referring to the allegations that his government is trying to protect the NGO, Parameshwara said, “They (BJP) have the government of India in their hands and also all investigation agencies in their hands. Let them find out what Amnesty is doing and take action accordingly,” he said.
Law minister slams BJP
Law Minister T B Jayachandra said that the Congress party did not have to learn nationalism from the BJP. Speaking to reporters, he countered BJP national president Amit Shah’s remark on the Congress party with regard to the Amnesty controversy.
Shah had accused the Congress of “indulging in vote bank politics and backing anti-national ideology”.
“By claiming to be gau rakshak, one does not become a nationalist. It is the Congress which is working for the development of the nation. The BJP has not even been in power for two-and-a-half years, and is pontificating on nationalism,” Jayachandra said, adding that the Congress would give a “befitting reply” to its rival.