KT Rama Rao likens PM's silence in hate speech cases to tacit support from top emboldening bigotry

As it tries to douse the diplomatic backlash from some Muslim dominated nations, the Narendra Modi led government came under attack from the TRS and its ally AIMIM in Telangana over the Nupur Sharma comments on Prophet Mohammed episode.

TRS working president and Telangana's IT, industries minister KT Rama Rao likened “PM Modi's deafening and shocking silence” in such hate speech instances to “tacit support from the top emboldening the bigotry and hatred that will cause irreparable loss to the nation.”

KTR demanded Modi that the BJP should apologize, “not the nation” for the now-suspended BJP national spokesperson Sharma's comments on Prophet Mohammed.

“Why should India as a country apologise to the international community for the hate speeches of BJP bigots?” KTR tweeted on Monday.

“It is the BJP that should apologise; not India as a Nation. Your party should first apologise to Indians at home for spewing and spreading hatred day in and day out,” KTR said.

The TRS leader's condemnation comes at a time his father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is constantly attacking PM Modi and is engaged in a nationwide tour and consultations with regional parties to forge an alternative political alliance.

KTR's tweets are apparently in response to the MEA officials' explanation to countries like Qatar which expressed their strong displeasure over the purported comments made by BJP spokespersons Sharma and Naveen Jindal last month.

Indian Embassy officials termed the controversial remarks as the “views of fringe elements.”

Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the delay in suspension on BJP's part, which came after the reactions of some Arab/Muslim majority nations, and demanded PM Modi for the arrest of Sharma.

“The nation has lost face internationally. Is suspension any punishment? How can a national spokesperson be stated as a fringe element? The fringe has become mainstream. BJP deliberately promotes hate and when things turn ugly, the party says such views are contradictory to its position,” Owaisi told reporters on Monday.

Reacting to BJP's statement, KTR questioned that if “the BJP truly respects all religions equally, should you also not suspend the Telangana BJP chief who made an open public statement wanting to dig up all the mosques and impose a ban on Urdu?”

“Why this selective treatment, (BJP chief JP) Nadda ji? Any clarification?” KTR tweeted on Sunday.

KTR was referring to TBJP chief Bandi Sanjay's purported comments at a Hindu ekta yatra in Karimnagar town last month.

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