 "Town hall event: PM Modi locks horns with cow brigade")
The prime minister hit out at recent incidents of violence by self-proclaimed groups of ‘gau rakshak’, or cow protectors, on Dalits and Muslims.
Addressing an audience of around 2,000, the PM said people involved in anti-social activities have donned the garb of ‘cow protectors’ as cover for their nefarious deeds. Modi, who has been criticised for his silence on the issue by his political rivals, even asked state governments to prepare police dossiers of such elements.
As he usually does, the PM chose his moment to hit out at those indulging in violence in the name of cow protection, as well as his political rivals. At the end of his over an hour-long interaction, Modi picked an innocuous question on the importance of volunteerism and social service to give vent to his “anger” at ‘gau rakshak’.
At the venue, the largest indoor stadium of the country, across billboards, Roman-style stage, digital screens and even songs composed for the second anniversary of myGov, Modi’s image stood out as larger than life. Even so, there were murmurs that the format was not truly that of a town hall as all nine questions may have been pre-recorded.
“Some people are running their shops in the name of cow protection. I get very agitated at this… Nearly 70 to 80 per cent of these elements are involved in anti-social activities at night but don the garb of cow protectors during the day,” Modi said. In recent months, across several parts of north and western India, vigilantes have harassed and beaten up Dalits and Muslims in the name of cow protection. Some of the worst atrocities have been committed in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Besides the PM, finance minister Arun Jaitley, fresh from his GST achievement in Parliament, too sent out a message to the political class and bureaucracy in the midst of celebration of transparency. The FM said there has to be a distinction between airing of views before a decision and after a decision. “In a transparent governance system like ours, there is nothing wrong with officers and ministers speaking out freely. Social media is a strong asset that allows alternate view-points, comments and suggestions before a decision is taken. However, it is important that once the government takes a decision, they all speak in one voice.”
The day began early with IT and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurating the six-hour event that saw participation of administrators, international and domestic companies, volunteers and most importantly the myGov contributors. However, many top govt officials listed for the sessions, including Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das and Railway Board Chairman A K Mital were missing. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R S Sharma too wasn’t present, nor was Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.
Even social media, in which the PM believes and has often relied upon for governance, was not represented by top executives.
The audience did not care much about the absentees though. It was a party over culinary spread ranging from Rajasthani to Punjabi, Thai to Chinese and Italian. The people, who had come to listen to the PM on their own expenses anywhere from Alwar to Thiruvananthapuram, were those who have been giving feedback to the NDA government on its signature campaigns like Make In India, Smart Cities, Digital India and Swachh Bharat. People like Nawaz Shaikh, whose logo for the new education policy was selected from 3,000 entries, or Keshav Marda, whose suggestion for connecting tourist spots through railways was accepted and found mention in the rail budget, or S Kishore Kumar, an employee with a start-up who has spent almost every weekend in the last two years helping myGov as a volunteer, were present.
Modi said more cows die because of choking on plastic than in slaughter houses. He appealed to those who claim to have compassion for cattle to prevent such cow deaths. “Social service needs sacrifice and compassion. It shouldn’t be used to harass others,” the PM said. As Gujarat chief Minister, Modi had surprised his detractors when he had ordered the demolition of over 800 illegal roadside temples in Ahmedabad in 2008, and had even forced Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia out of Gujarat when the latter had tried to drum up protests against the move.
In an answer to another question, the PM remembered how B R Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution and a Dalit icon, returned to his motherland to work here despite having studied in the most prestigious universities of the world. Modi said people needed to learn from Ambedkar’s example of devoting his life to working in India even when he suffered casteist insults.
Modi appealed to the well off in the society to spend at least five per cent of their income to purchase khadi and handloom, which will go a long way in generating jobs for weavers.
This was also an opportunity to take potshots at political rivals, particularly Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and even media persons. However, Modi didn’t refer to anyone by name.
In an apparent jibe at Kejriwal, the PM said for some people it had become a fashion to blame even problems at the panchayat or municipal level on the doorstep of the prime minister. He said it might be good for politics and television ratings, but it wasn’t for governance. In a tangential reference to the Gandhi family, Modi said social media has changed the trend where some people would keep lecturing the people, but are now finding criticism in social media intolerable.
Additional reporting by Karan Choudhury, Shreya Jai & Dilasha Seth in New Delhi