 "Democracy should be India's religion, Constitution its holy book: Cong MP")
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain on Tuesday said India is a multi-religious society but the country's religion should only be democracy and holy book, the Constitution.
He also said the subject of minority rights is germane to every country that calls itself a civilised nation, but going by the prevailing atmosphere in the country, India is soon turning into a "minority hating nation".
He was participating in the discussion on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India" in the Rajya Sabha.
"This government has gone to the extent of making communal division into a state policy, thereby betraying the vision of the Constitution's framers and the inclusive nation that they aspired to build," the Congress MP said.
Alleging that a dangerous politics of polarisation is on in the country, he claimed that an atmosphere of fear and hate is being created and "minorities today feel their state is like that of Jews during the Nazi rule in Germany".
He further said Article 25 of the Indian Constitution provides Fundamental Right to freedom of religion and Article 26 provides freedom to manage religious affairs.
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"Every Hindustani has one or the other religion. We all are born in one or the other religion," he said.
He added that every religion also has a holy book.
"But I believe that religion of Hindustan should be democracy and holy book should be the Constitution," the senior leader said.
Hussain also spoke of Hindus in Bangladesh, Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan and Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Referring to the Prime Minister's remarks against the Congress, accusing it of using the Constitution for its politics, Hussain said, "for the Congress the Constitution is an instrument of struggle for social and economic change for the vast masses of the country".
On Prime Minister's statement on 'zero tolerance' on corruption, he said the government should conduct inquiry into the corruption allegations against Adani group as well as in electoral bonds.