Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Friday described controversial remarks by fringe elements within the Sangh Parivar as "not the majority opinion" and said a response to them from the prime minister would be akin to ascribing them undue importance.
Addressing the media at the Indian Women's Press Corps here, Rathore said the government was mindful of the fringe elements as their actions "seem to reflect on us" (the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government.
However, he deemed it unfit to expect statements from the prime minister because it would mean giving them undue importance.
"Every time, a fringe element speaks anywhere, (the expectation that) the response to that should come from the prime minster is giving it too much of importance. The government with so many ministries is telling that this is our path, if one among them takes a wrong step, please make a hue and cry then.
"They (hate speeches by fringe elements) are not the majority opinions. The government is taking steps to curb it," said Rathore, who is the minister of state for information and broadcasting.
Hate speeches by union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and BJP's Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj in the run up to the Delhi elections are believed to have caused a visible dent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "sabka saath, sabka vikas (together with all, development for all)" as well as contributed to the electoral drubbing the party faced in the national capital.
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Following the loss in Delhi where the BJP secured mere three seats in a 70-member assembly, long-time ally Shiromani Akali Dal blamed the hardline policies of the BJP, including Jyoti who reportedly called upon the voters in Delhi to choose between the "followers of Lord Ram" and the "illegitimate sons" at an election rally in December 2014.
Nonetheless, Rathore said, "the prime minister issued show-cause notices to these people and have been asked to restrain themselves".