Yechury hits out at Shah over ‘New India’ remarks

New Delhi: The CPI(M) today hit out at BJP president Amit Shah over his “New India” remarks relating to the Supreme Court’s judgment quashing triple talaq, alleging a “post-truth society” was being created in the country and “all understand” that Muslims was the target.

Post-truth, the Oxford dictionary word of the year for 2016, is defined as ‘relating to/denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.

Shah said the apex court’s judgment on triple talaq was a beginning of a new epoch of self-respect and equality for Muslim women and that the BJP saw it as “a resolute step towards a New India”.

The CPI(M) had earlier in the day welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict treating “arbitrary and instant” triple talaq as unconstitutional. It, however, sought to wait till it went through the detailed judgement before responding properly on the issue.

Addressing a public discussion here, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, without naming any party, alleged that superstition was being misused for political intention in the country.

He claimed that the intention of those doing so was to replace the secular democratic republic of the country into a “Hindu Rashtra or Hindu Pakistan” for political gains.

“BJP chief Amit Shah today talked about ‘New India’ while speaking on triple talaq. He congratulated (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi Sahab.

“What has Modi Sahab got to do on this? But he is being congratulated,” Yechury said at the discussion.

The discussion was organised by the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti and the Delhi Andhavishwas Unmulan Samiti here.

Yechury added, “They (BJP) are saying India is becoming forward. Who is the target? All understand. Triple talaq is related to Muslims. The judgement has come against Muslims, target the community, that is, the country is moving forward.

The post-truth is being created.”

Yechury though said he was yet to read the entire judgement.

The Marxist leader alleged Modi was following the logic of late Bollywood filmmaker Manmohan Desai who, he said, was of the view that a film should be such that it did not give people time to think of anything else.

Similarly, Yechury alleged, Modi was not giving people time to think about anything else and doling out schemes such as ‘Make in India’.

He described rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, who was killed four years ago, as a “leading light” in the battle against unreason.

Speaking at the event, CPI national secretary D Raja said intolerance was allegedly growing in the country and that such an atmosphere had to be fought to take the country forward.

RJD leader Manoj Jha, Swami Agnivesh, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand and scientist Gauhar Raza also addressed the event.

—PTI