Outgoing Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari at his residence. Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi.
Outgoing Vice-President Hamid Ansari attracted sharp criticism from a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader for his remarks that there was a sense of insecurity among Muslims in the country. While stating that such a “petty” remark was not expected from someone in Ansari’s position, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya wondered if the outgoing V-P was looking for “political shelter” after retirement.
“I condemn his comments. He has made political comments as he is retiring. He is still a vice president and such comments do not suit his office’s dignity. It seems he is making such comments to find political shelter after retirement,” PTI has quoted Vijayvargiya as saying.
He added: “Nobody expects such “petty comments” from a person holding such a high post.”
Vijayvargiya’s strong reactions come on a day when political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave farewell speeches praising Ansari in Parliament.
Ansari, whose second five-year term as Vice-President draws to an today, in an interview to Karan Thapar on Rajya Sabha TV, said there was a feeling of unease and a sense of insecurity among Muslims in the country, stating that the “ambience of acceptance” is now under threat. His remarks come in the backdrop of incidents of alleged intolerance and violence by cow vigilantes.
In the interview, Ansari also spoke about incidents of lynching and ‘ghar wapsi’ and killings of rationalists as a “breakdown of Indian values”. He said, “breakdown of the ability of the authorities at different levels in different places to be able to enforce what should be normal law enforcing work and over all the very fact that Indianness of any citizen being questioned is a disturbing thought.”
(With PTI inputs)
