Yechury to Rajnath Singh thank party leader Mohammed Salim for bringing to

Tension erupted when Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, leader Mohammed Salim, while quoting a news magazine, said, “After Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the home minister in an address said 800 years later a Hindu has become India’s PM”.

The Home Minister, on his part, expressed his disappointment over the CPI (M) leader’s remark, saying he has never been hurt as much as today in his entire parliamentary career. “These are serious allegations”. He should say when and where I made such a statement or apologize…

Referring to the walkout of the opposition parties, he said they did not have the “tolerance” to listen to his response to their views even when he patiently heard every speaker. “People know Rajnath Singh can never make such a statement”.

Mr Salim read out the comment from a newsmagazine and challenged Rajnath Singh to send notice to the publication for quoting him wrongly.

As soon as the House met for the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, without specifying the subjects, said she has disallowed all notices of adjournment of Question Hour.

Earlier, Rajnath Singh asserted that the government did not believe or agree that there was growing intolerance in the country.

“My government is working on it”, he said in his 14th “Mann Ki Baat” radio address to the nation, before leaving for Paris to attend a world summit on climate change.

He had also made a statement asking his colleagues to speak with caution, he said.

Targeting Union minister VK Singh for his insensitive comments after two Dalit children were burnt to death, Gandhi said, “our prime minister allowed this man (VK Singh) to continue as minister”. The comments by Mohammad Salim, who cited a report in a news magazine while initiating the debate on ‘intolerance, led to a deadlock with the ruling side demanding that he either withdraw these comments or apologise.

Lekhi described the artistes, filmmakers, writers and “so-called intellectuals” as “intellectual mercenaries” and said such people are not concerned about how they are tarnishing the country’s image and the relations between communities. But the unrelenting Congress members continued to raise slogans against Singh demanding an apology.

In his “Mann ki baat” address, Modi had said that the government will not re-promulgate the land ordinance which expired on August 31 and had declared readiness to accept any suggestions to benefit the farmers in the pending bill on it. “If there is one political party which has suffered the maximum untouchability and intolerance in Indian politics, it is the Bharatiya Janata Party”. If someone said P Karunakaran should be the (CPI-M) General Secretary instead of Sitaram Yechury, this is not (done).