Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday sharply criticized the Modi government during the debate on the ‘motion of thanks’ on the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha, saying the BJP has systematically fragmented Indian society by instigating communities against each other and deliberately deepening social divisions through its policies.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh said, “The slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’ is raised repeatedly in the House. The government and the Prime Minister keep repeating this slogan from various platforms, but today what is happening within the country is extremely worrying and tells the truth behind this slogan. On the day when the entire country was celebrating the death anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, old videos and speeches of Gandhiji were shared on social media. were being broadcast on.
The Aam Aadmi Party MP said, “At the same time, pictures of his killers sitting in the court and laughing were also going viral. This was the picture of the period in which Nathuram Godse and his associates were present. There was no expression of remorse on their faces, rather they were laughing.
According to an official release, Sanjay Singh said that the ruling party often claims that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had nothing to do with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and stressed that if this claim is true, then the country should resolve to eliminate the ideology that killed Gandhiji.
He said “If it is true that RSS had no hand in Gandhiji’s assassination, then let us all pledge together to eliminate the ideology that took Gandhiji’s life. We have to root out the ideology that snatched away from us the father of our nation, the apostle of non-violence. Unfortunately, this is not happening in the country today. In fact, that ideology is being promoted even more.”
Referring to the increasing incidents of religious intolerance, Sanjay Singh, citing incidents in Uttar Pradesh, said, “Recently there was a ruckus outside a church in Bareilly and Hanuman Chalisa was recited there. A similar incident was repeated in Lucknow, where a church was targeted and Hanuman Chalisa was recited outside it. I want to ask whether Bajrangbali ever asked anyone to go to the church and recite Hanuman Chalisa? Did Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram ever ask anyone? Were you ordered to read Ramcharitmanas outside the mosque?
He further said, “If anyone wants to recite Hanuman Chalisa, he should go to Hanuman temple. If anyone wants to read Ramcharitmanas, he should go to Ram temple and recite it with devotion and seek blessings for himself and the country.”
Sanjay Singh mentioned a very shameful incident that happened in Jabalpur. He asked, “On December 25, before Christmas, a woman BJP leader forcibly entered a church in Jabalpur. She beat up and abused a blind woman present there. Not only this, she told an innocent girl sitting there that you come here to get wrong things done. Does the BJP want to create this kind of society? Is this the new India that is being imagined?”
The Aam Aadmi Party MP said that such incidents are damaging India’s image globally. He said, “India’s image is being tarnished across the world due to these incidents. Indians living in Australia, England, America, New Zealand and other countries must be feeling extremely embarrassed. When the world sees that people in India are not being allowed to worship as per their religion, then the claim of being Vishwaguru gets exposed. Therefore, first of all The politics of hatred has to end.”
Sanjay Singh said that there is no limit to the hate-filled politics of the government. He said, “First Hindus were pitted against Muslims, then Hindus were pitted against Sikhs, then Hindus against Christians. Now this division is being spread within Hindus themselves. Jats are being pitted against non-Jats, Marathas against non-Marathas and Dalits and backward classes against the so-called upper castes.”
Raising the issue of a bill related to the University Grants Commission, Sanjay Singh said, “The government brought a bill which was stayed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court clearly said that the bill is vague. In the name of setting up an equality committee, the government brought such a provision which created an atmosphere of conflict in the entire country. BJP has never been a well-wisher of Dalits, backward classes and tribals. In the last 100 years, not a single RSS chief has come from Dalit, backward or tribal community. This is what That’s their reality.”
Placing data related to higher education before the House, he said, “More than 80 per cent of the posts of professors and assistant professors reserved for Dalits, backward and tribal classes in universities are lying vacant. There are 45 central universities in the country, and in 38 of them the vice-chancellors are only from upper castes. When the appointment of vice-chancellors is in the hands of the government, then why are Dalits and backward classes not getting representation? Does this mean that Dalits, backward classes and Are tribals not eligible to become Vice-Chancellors? Candidates from these sections are often rejected in the category of ‘not found suitable’, which reflects the mentality of the government.”
He also raised the issue of representation in the judiciary. He said, “The participation of Dalits, backward classes and tribals in judicial appointments in the Supreme Court and 25 High Courts of the country is negligible. The government should look into the statistics, the truth will come out. Whenever the question of justice for these classes arises, instead of giving justice, the government creates drama and only pretends to be their well-wisher.”
Sanjay Singh said that if the intentions of the government were good then two committees should have been formed in every university. “One committee should specifically investigate caste-based discrimination and the other committee should monitor discrimination based on language, gender or any other basis. Had this been done, there would have been no controversy. But the government deliberately created an environment which led to conflict in the society.
After this he raised the issue of demolition of temples in Varanasi and said, “Recently I was on a padayatra from Mirzapur to Kashi. During that time, incidents of demolition of temples and damage to Manikarnika Ghat came to light. In the name of Kashi Corridor, the ancient Manikarnika Ghat was damaged and the statue of Mata Ahilyabai Holkar was broken.”
He further said, “When I tweeted videos of these incidents, instead of taking action against the vandals, the government registered a case against me. Senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan herself said that the statue of Mata Ahilyabai Holkar was vandalized. Uttar Pradesh minister Ravindra Jaiswal also admitted that Manikarnika Ghat and temples were vandalized. Despite this, instead of taking action against the culprits, an FIR was registered against the MP who raised his voice. I demand that the government should form a three-member committee of the BJP parliamentary party and send it to Kashi. The committee should show where the statue of Mata Ahilyabai Holkar is safe and prove that Manikarnika Ghat was not demolished.”
Sanjay Singh also mentioned the incident that happened in Magh Mela of Prayagraj. He said, “The Prayagraj administration committed a very condemnable act. Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda ji was going to take a bath, but the administration stopped him. The police dragged his disciples and young students by their hair and beat them. Shankaracharya ji had only one demand: the administration should accept its mistake, only after which he would take a bath. No one apologized and ultimately he had to return without taking a bath.”
He further said, “BJP leaders have become such big contractors of religion that they sent a notice to Shankaracharya ji through a Tehsildar asking him to prove that he is Shankaracharya.” Those who have not been able to show their degrees for the last 12 years are demanding proof from Shankaracharya ji. A developed India cannot be built by spreading hatred and snatching away the rights of people.
On foreign policy, Sanjay Singh said, “Amidst the Prime Minister’s claims of becoming a world leader, the truth is that Indians were sent back to Amritsar from America in handcuffs and shackles. Former US President Donald Trump claimed that he brought about the ceasefire by threatening to cancel trade agreements. China is continuously claiming to be doing construction work in the Shaksgam Valley, building bridges and tunnels. On the same day this statement came from China, representatives of the Chinese Communist Party visited the BJP office. What is the foreign policy of the government? The government is silent on the brutal killings of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Raising questions on judicial independence, Sanjay Singh said, “In Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, when a judge gave an impartial verdict, he was immediately transferred. Although judges are transferred by the judiciary, the intention behind it and the pressure of the government are clear. The government has targeted Aam Aadmi Party leaders and is sending them to jail one after the other. Tribal leader Chaitra Vasava was arrested thrice and sent to jail. AAP MLA Maharaj Malik and social activist Sonam Wangchuk has also been kept in jail.”
Concluding his address, Sanjay Singh said, “The government is running a big election scam in the name of SIR. The voter list prepared by the Commission for Panchayat and urban elections showed 17 crore voters, while only 12 crore 55 lakh voters were registered in the Central Election Commission list. Where have the 45 crore voters of Uttar Pradesh disappeared? Through SIR, the votes of supporters of a particular community and the opposition are being deducted. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Notices are also being sent to the families of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and former naval officers. This is not a SIR, but a big election scam.
