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Need to change thought that terror is religion-based, says Yechury

Photo: V. Sudershan

Terror trail: Political leaders Ram Vilas Paswan, Sitaram Yechury, Digvijay Singh and social activist Shabnam Hashmi (left) along with victims of false terror cases at a seminar on “Tracing Sangh Terror Trail and Stories of Innocent Muslim Boys” organised by civil rights group ANHAD in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI: The mind-set that questions the patriotism of minorities and links them to terror needs to be changed and the need to acknowledge and fight “sangh terror” was the refrain at a day-long meet organised here over the weekend to highlight stereotyping of communities and its impact on people.

Politicians, civil society activists, journalists and those who have been “wrongly” accused of terror links congregated at the meet, “Tracing Sangh Terror Trail and Stories of Innocent Muslim Boys”, organised by civil rights group ANHAD.

Following the testimonies of some of those who have been accused of being part of terror activities, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury promised that the issue would be raised in Parliament and his party would pressure the government to pass the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill.

“There is need to change the thought that terrorism is religion-based,” he said. Referring to the perception that after Partition and formation of Pakistan, India did not need to think about Muslims, Mr. Yechury said the two-nation theory was first proposed by freedom fighter Veer Savarkar.

Mr. Yechury also made a reference to Savarkar's words, “Hinduise all politics and militarise Hindudom ”, to drive home the point that one community alone could not be held responsible for acts of terror. He attributed Partition to the “twin radical strains of both Hindutva and Islam”, adding, “Though India is a largely secular country, there are attempts to pave the way for a Hindutva State.”

Referring to RSS and its radical factions, he said, “It is wrong to assume that Hindus cannot be terrorists.”

Ram Vilas Paswan of the Lok Jan Shakti Party demanded to know why organisations such as the RSS, Bajrang Dal and Abhinav Bharat were not banned. “In Kashmir, people told us that they get victimised for being Muslims and because they are from Kashmir, they also get branded as terrorists. They said they do not want financial help, they need the freedom to live,” he added.

Critical of the “branding” of Muslims as “terrorists,” Mr. Paswan said the minorities, whether Muslims, Christians or Sikhs, needed to be protected and strengthened.

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress leader Digvijay Singh said it was easy to ban organisations that sowed the seeds of hatred which in turn become a cause for terror activities, but the challenge was to fight “ideology”. He said it was equally important to describe “Hindutva terrorism” as “sangh terrorism” instead of “saffron terrorism”.

“The colour saffron is sacred for Hindus, and stands for courage. And it becomes a religious issue. It should be called sangh terrorism, and the entire community should not be blamed for the work of a few,” he said.

“Whenever the BJP weakens, they come up with communal issues. They want to build a temple and hoist the National Flag in those places where there will be conflict,” he said, adding, “I believe that Mr. Advani's rath yatra gave rise to terror activities in Bihar, U.P., Gujarat; the Ram Mandir issue led to blasts in Mumbai and communal riots that killed innocents.”

Referring to the Batla House encounter following which 26 educated youths from Azamgarh were branded for terror activities, he said, “There are no lawyers to defend them; they have been slapped with 50 cases each in various districts and States. There is an urgent need to have courts for speedy trial of cases and early punishment for those who have been involved in terror activities.”

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