Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram constituency Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said that the Congress party could have been more vocal on matters such as the Bilkis Bano case, incidents of cow vigilantism, and attacks on Christians and Muslims in the country. While addressing the party in Raipur on the occasion of the 85th plenary session, he asserted that the grand old party should be very clear on its ideological stance which favours an inclusive India. He added that the party must stand for its foundational values and principles.
According to news agency PTI, he said, “We should be absolutely clear in our ideological stance in favour of inclusive India. The tendency to downplay some positions or avoid taking a stand on some issues in order not to alienate what we assume to be the sentiments of the majority only plays into the BJP's hands.”
On the attacks against minorities under the BJP government, he said, “We must have the courage of our convictions. We could have been more vocal on the Bilkis Bano outrage, attacks on Christian churches, murder in the name of cow vigilantism, bulldozer demolition of Muslim homes and similar issues.”
A total of 11 convicts, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002 post-Godhra Bilkis Bano gangrape case, were released last year in August, sparking nationwide outrage. This happened as the Gujarat government gave permission to release the convicts under the remission policy.
Tharoor opined that the party should not stay away from speaking on these matters as doing so would amount to giving up on the core responsibility of standing up for India's diversity and pluralism.
He remarked no stone should be left unturned when it comes to strengthening the secular foundations of India.
He said, “The fact is that India's future is bright as long as the Congress fights the good fight.”
The former union minister also touched upon other issues such as economic growth, foreign policy etc.
On the economic front, he said, “We want economic growth but we must ensure that the fruits of that growth reach the poor and the marginalised. India will not shine until it shines for all.”
He hit out at the BJP government-led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of India’s foreign policy.
Tharoor commented, “There was no Congress foreign policy or BJP foreign policy only Indian foreign policy and Indian national interest. The Narendra Modi government has sadly undermined this tradition,” as quoted by PTI.
He added that foreign policy should be a consensual national endeavour with a bipartisan approach.
The Congres passed the resolution on foreign policy in which the party said it is very concerned about the current situation on India’s Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Tharoor remarked, “It is shocking to hear our foreign minister imply that China is too rich to stand up to. We must demand that Parliament be taken into confidence, that the nation be told what is our thinking about our vital foreign policy interests.”
The party said that the BJP government has not been able to handle the issues properly. It alleged that the Modi government has been interacting with China in an “unstructured manner.”
Congress said, “This has emboldened China to be even more aggressive. India needs to communicate this clearly without obfuscation, and urgently enhance capabilities to deter China from attempting any military coercion along the LAC.”
They aslo said that “the lethargy and neglect of the BJP government has increased India’s vulnerability.“ The political resolution further noted that the Line of Actual Control between India and China continues to remain in a tense phase.