Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday excoriated the Jamaat-e-Islami for attempting to negotiate with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that aspired to establish a Hindu Rashtra by relegating minorities to a subaltern status in India. He challenged the organisation’s leadership to reveal what was on the discussion table.
Mr. Vijayan said the Jamaat-e-Islami did not hold the patent for upholding minority rights in the country. He said its aspiration to reform the RSS was akin to convincing a leopard to shed its spots. Mr. Vijayan said the Jamaat-e-Islami had revealed its actual colour by attempting to snug up to the Hindu majoritarian organisation.
He said secularism also meant protecting the rights of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities. He said the Jamaat-e-Islami did not represent the country’s Muslims to speak for them. The Jamaat-e-Islami had challenged the country’s secular values by attempting to kowtow to the Sangh Parivar’s interests. Its actions were tantamount to legitimising the RSS agenda when secular opposition to the Sangh Parivar’s Hindu majoritarian agenda was mounting in the country.
