"Keep new India to yourself, give us back the old India," Ghulam Nabi Azad to Modi over Jharkhand lynching

In his address, Azad asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep the "New India" to himself and give back the "Old India" to people where there was "no hatred, anger or lynching".

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad/ Image: PTI

New Delhi: The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday expressed dismay over the incident of mob lynching in Jharkhand where a 24-year-old Muslim man was thrashed to death, and said that the state is slowly emerging as a factory of lynching and violence. In his address, Azad asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep the "New India" to himself and give back the "Old India" to people where there was no hatred, anger or lynching. He also said that Prime Minister’s efforts for Sabka saath, Sabka Vikas could not been anywhere on ground “Jharkhand has become a factory of lynching and violence. Dalits and Muslims are killed there every week,” he said. Azad was reacting to the Jamshedpur incident where a 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was lynched to death on suspicion of theft.  The incident came to light after a video went viral in which the accused Pappu Mandal (now arrested) was seen beating Ansari, who was tied to a tree. According to police sources, initially Ansari tried to save himself by calling himself "Sonu". However, he was forced to reveal his real name after the mob asked him to chant "Jai Sri Ram". “PM, we are with you in the fight of 'Sabka saath sabka vikas' but it should be there for people to see it. We can't see it anywhere”, Azad said in the Upper House. “I request you to keep the New India to yourself and give us our Old India where there was love, culture. Hindus used to feel the pain when Muslims and Dalits used to get hurt. When something used to get into eyes of Hindus, Muslims and Dalits used to shed tears for them” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. In old India there was no hatred, anger or lynching, he said. “New India is one where humans are enemies of each other. You won't be scared of animals in a jungle but you'll be scared of humans in a colony. Give us India where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians live for each other,” he said.