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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, JAN 22: A fresh controversy has arisen over the issue of attacks on Christians in Gujarat with the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) tonight dismissing as slanderous outbursts’ the remarks by Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel that the NCM had come out with a biased and one-sided’ report on the incidents.
“What the Chief Minister has said today about the NCM …… Qualifies in law for contempt of lawful authority. I never comment on such slanderous outbursts which in my opinion tarnish the image of the slanderers and not of the NCM,” NCM chairman Tahir Mahmood said in a strongly-worded rejoinder.
Patel said the commission had sought a report from the state administration on the attacks by January 20 but came out with a “biased one-sided interim report” withoutwaiting for that.
Mahmood said “politicians, I am sure, know they have to duly respect the social justice enforcement mechanism of the nation of which NCM has been made an important constituent by parliamentary legislation. But all is fair in politics they say.”
“Had the Chief Minister taken the trouble of speaking to me on phone he could have spared himself of the utter falsehood which his reported statement about the NCM reflects, the statement said.
NCM member Prof Bawa Singh told reporters at Moga in Punjab the commission was of the view that the attacks on Christians in Gujarat were organised and the state government had failed to protect them.
Meanwhile, security around the official residences of Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and Minister of State for Home, Haren Pandya, in Gandhinagar has been tightened after the Dangs district collector received a letter threatning the leaders’ lives, yesterday.
The letter, suspected to be issued by a Tamil Nadu-based Muslim outfit, also threatenedBardoli MLA Rajnikant Rajwadi, former collector of Dangs district Bharat Joshi, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Dangs unit president, Pradip Patil and the chief of the Dangs unit of BJP, official sources said here.
