Hitting out at Shiv Sena leader and editor of party mouthpiece Saamana, Sanjay Raut, for demanding revocation of voting rights of Muslims, Congress today sought his immediate suspension from the official post as Rajya Sabha MP.
"Sanjay Raut's comments in the Sena mouthpiece are condemnable and evoke religious passions. Since he has violated the Constitution of India by making such comments despite being an MP, he should be immediately suspended from his official position," Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant told reporters here.
He said that the Constitution entails equal rights to people of all religions and therefore by demanding revocation of voting rights to Muslims is a violation of the Constitution.
"It is the Constitution, because of which he is enjoying the privileges of being a Rajya Sabha MP. If he cannot accept the fundamental rights guaranteed to people by the Constitution, he has no right to be a people's representative," Sawant said.
The Congress leader demanded that Raut should tender his resignation on his own if he seeks to stand by his comments and if he does not resign, he should be immediately sacked.
"Since the Modi government has come to power, self-styled saviours of religion feel that they can say and do anything they wish to. But all of them will have to abide by the Constitution that is supreme. Whether it's the Owaisi brothers or Sanjay Raut, nobody is above law," he said.
The Sena editorial had said, "Vote bank politics is being played in the name of fighting against the injustice meted out to Muslims. Their educational and health status is being used politically. This politics was once played by the Congress and now every other person calls himself secular."
"If Muslims are only being used this way to play politics, then they can never develop. Muslims will have no future till they are used to play vote bank politics and thus Balasaheb had once said to withdraw Muslims voting rights. What he said is right," it added.
