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Thursday, Jul 08, 2004

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National

Government intolerant, says Joshi

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, JULY 7. The former Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, said here today that the Central Government had adopted an "obnoxious and dangerous" concept of eliminating those holding divergent views or ideologies.

Mr. Joshi was addressing the media at the State BJP headquarters to highlight the party's week-long campaign to warn the people about "the acts of the Central Government that were detrimental to the country's interests". The campaign was launched yesterday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the Jan Sangh founder,Shyama Prasad Mookherjee.

Mr. Joshi also lashed out at the Centre for removing four Governors. "The blatant manner in which they have been removed shows the Centre's lack of tolerance for those holding divergent ideologies. This action only reflects the fascist tendencies of the Government," he said adding "today the Governors have been removed; tomorrow it could be the turn of the judges or even the Chief Election Commissioner."

Asked whether the axe would also fall on the BJP Governments in States, he said: "They might even decide in terms of eliminating the entire Opposition as had been done by Indira Gandhi.

Turning education `upside down'

In the sphere of education, he said: "The HRD Minister, Arjun Singh, a gift of Madhya Pradesh to the Centre, is determined to turn upside down all that had been done by the previous BJP-led Government. The question arises whether the present Government wants to bring back the old history books that went to the extent of questioning the very existence of Lord Ram and Krishna and telling the students that Guru Tegh Bahadur had not sacrificed his life but was killed by his opponents as he was engaged in acts of loot or even describing the Jats as dacoits and robbers.

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