The BJP general secretary also said that Hitler and Mussolini were “products of democracy” and added that democracies mature over time
New Delhi: In a clear swipe at opposition parties over protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said on Thursday that those who lost in the “democratic process” converted the “streets into the democratic platform” and involved in violence.
Madhav said that Indian citizenship rules are “non-discriminatory” and allow outsiders to become citizens after migrating from different years of stay here. He also noted that the latest Citizenship Amendment Act, 1955, is for refugees who arrived in India by December 31, 2014.
Madhav participated in a panel discussion in the Raisina Dialogue, he made this statement while responding to questions from the audience about the agitation. He was also questioned by a member of the audience if the country was moving towards an “undemocratic democracy”.
He said India has a vibrant and good Constitution, and “we are all wedded to it”. He also said that Indian democracy will only progress further and mature.
Mentioning to protests, some of which were impaired by violence, he took a jibe at opposition parties without naming them.
“When someone loses in the democratic process and makes roads into the democratic platform, involve in violence and say the government is not listening. That is not the democratic spirit,” he said, adding the Narendra Modi government has faced the most criticism.
The Citizenship Amendment Act was passed in the “most democratic manner” after a discussion in Parliament, the BJP leader asserted that the government responded to criticism during the debate.
“The government is duty-bound to respond to criticism without violence,” Madhav said, adding those who have a different opinion should use the right platform in the right manner.
“Some are getting depressed and claiming that Indian democracy is going to the dogs, that you have to keep aside. In India, governments are changed very easily. Nobody is going to sustain in a democracy for a long time,” he said.
During the panel discussion, Madhav said for a successful democracy it needs true representatives that are people and specifically, culture has to be nurtured in the society.
“Or else you give democracy to a given country, take it from me, Osama Bin Laden posthumously can become the president. You need to nurture a value system in that society,” Madhav said.
The BJP general secretary also said that Hitler and Mussolini were “products of democracy” and added that democracies mature over time.
Democracy also needs several institutions in place to succeed, Madhav said, adding that in India “democratic institutions for millennia at the societal level have to take care of democratic spirit”.
Madhav said “Our country has always encouraged democratic values in the region and supported people’s right to uphold democratic values. However, he added that democracy should not be used as a “political stick or political weapon” to use against any specific nation.
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