Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'secularism' jibe in Dublin, Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Bhatiya on Thursday said the former's intention seemed to be good, but smacked off sheer tokenism and symbolism.
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"The intention of the PM seems to be good, but he has been unable to control the fringe elements in his party. He has been controlled by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and therefore, his words remain acts of mere tokenism and are symbolic," Bhatiya told ANI.
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"He (PM) needs to act and crack the whip on leaders like Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj who on a regular basis make communal statements and get away with it. That, I think, is destroying the secular fabric of our country," he added.
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Prime Minister Modi, who was welcomed in Dublin by the voices of Irish children reciting Sanskrit shlokas, took a dig at the opposition back home, saying that if this was done in India, then it would have raised questions about 'secularism'.