Friday, March 29, 2024

Man who has called for killing of Muslims appointed as spokesperson of BJP Haryana

The decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to appoint Kerni Sena chief Suraj Pal Amu as spokesperson in Haryana is being seen as rewarding him for the hate speeches given by Amu at Mahapanchayat held in support of those arrested for lynching Asif Khan in Sohna. Photo: Meer Faisal/Maktoob

The decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to appoint Kerni Sena chief Suraj Pal Amu as spokesperson in Haryana is being seen as rewarding him for the hate speeches given by Amu at Mahapanchayat held in support of those arrested for lynching Asif Khan in Sohna.

Amu’s provocative speeches in which he is calling for murder of Muslims drew a lot of outrage. He even went on to say that Asif was murdered because of his deeds and those who were arrested in the case are not responsible for his killing.

“They make nude photos of our sisters and daughters and we cannot even murder them? Those who try to stop this panchayat, we will kill them, whoever has drunk his mother’s milk can stop us. Muslim brothers? What brothers? These bastards are butchers…they say Section 144 [prohibitory orders forbidding a gathering of more than five] is in place, impose whatever orders you want, who is ready to face cases? Raise your hands…every Hindu has the ability to enter your home,” said Amu.

 Many people demanded to arrest him for his hate speeches. However, on the contrary, the BJP went on to appoint him as spokesperson of the state.

Talking to Maktoob, Taufeeq Ali, President of Muslim Raksha Dal, Haryana, condemned Amu’s appointment as spokesperson and said this decision has sent deep resentment among Muslims.

“This is the habit of the BJP. They incite communal riots by giving provocative speeches. This is a maneuver of the BJP. We have filed a complaint against Suraj Pal Amu but they appointed him spokesperson. This regime and administration are worse than the British colonialists. If the regime will not protect us, where will we go? We are feeling insecure. Earlier, we had fought the British and now we will have to fight these people,” he said.  

He said Mewat is the place of syncretic culture where Hindu-Muslims are living peacefully. But these people who are coming from somewhere else are disturbing peace. “When I came to know about his appointment as spokesperson, I got tears in my eyes,” said Taufeeq.

He also demanded to remove Amu from the post of spokesperson and arrest all those who gave hate speeches at Mahapanchayat held in Indri village on 30 May.

Navaid Hamid, President of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawrat (AIMMM), also believes that Amu was rewarded for his hate speeches which he gave at the Mahapanchayat.

“A man who should have  been booked for spreading not only hatred but advocating violence against muslims has been rewarded just to send a message to their hard core rightwing constituency for political gains at a time when the ruling party has failed on all fronts of governance including to tackle the COVID19 pandemic which has taken lives of huge number due to the callousness of BJP,” said Hamid.

He also noted that such decisions are aimed at polarizing the society along communal line and whipping up Islamophobic narrative in politics.

“It is a line of continuous process to work on the divisive agenda to polarise society and further not only to encourage but also to patronize Islamophobia in politics,” he said.

On the other hand, Amu pooh-poohed all criticism of his appointment and hate speeches.

“I thank those who want to criticize me. I will religiously discharge the responsibility given by the party,” he said.

When asked about criticism that he was awarded for his hate speeches, he said “the critics can shoot me. Those who are criticizing me don’t know the truth”. He also said that he was the state spokesperson of the Haryana BJP earlier too. He served as media coordinator of the Haryana BJP. Now, he has been appointed again as spokesperson.

He is still justifying his hate speeches saying that it’s his freedom of speech. On the part of his speech where he said “we can’t even murder them”, he said this was about “self-defense”.

Waquar Hasan
Waquar Hasan
Waquar Hasan is freelance journalist based in New Delhi.
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