Hoshiarpur, Punjab: Twenty four hours after the US president Barack Obama counselled India for its growing religious intolerance, the Shiv Sena an alliance of the ruling BJP has advised the government to remove the word secular and socialist from preamble of the Indian constitution as the Hindutva family reiterated that India is a Hindu Nation.
Party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh in a strong worded reaction said the word secular in the Constitution was a mere show piece to hoodwink the international community and mislead minorities. “We are clear that India is a Hindu country and the minorities residing here were not part of it.
Whether you keep or delete the word secular make no difference to Sikhs as they know in their guts that their status and position in this (Hindu) country was unequal, who are being held either by chicanery or with force”. “Punjab was indeed part of Indian sub-continent. But it was never part of so-called Bharat. It was the last to be annexed by Britishers”. “Since then Sikhs have been aspiring to be independent of Hindu-India”.
Just hours after the visiting dignitary left the Indian soil the frenzy elements of Hindutva family have shown its true colours sending Obama a message that they don’t need his sermons on religious freedom and tolerance. “Like US president, the minorities especially the victims of politics of genocide and persecution fully know that they are now facing far more serious right-wing Hindutva dominance in the country. He said undoubtedly, Hindutva chauvinism was not only a hindrance but a huge barrier to peace within India.
While showing his concern, he said a sea-change in US policy and perspective on present Indian leadership especially present Prime Minister of India who was a persona non-grata for the US few months back, was acutely worrisome for victims of human rights violations and minorities who had been facing state repression since long.
However, Dal Khalsa spokesperson said US president Barack Obama has rightly hinted towards the growing religious intolerance in India. He said the US president has shown a mirror to India.
He said it was their expectation that during his interactions with the Indian leadership, Mr Obama would take up the issue of human rights violations and political aspirations of minorities.