Indian Express today made no mention that the Congress, led by party leader Sonia Gandhi, staged a walk-out when Union home minister Amit Shah was giving a detailed account of Delhi riots in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Impartial observers would be surprised on both counts: One, Why Congress walked out when it were they who had largely been clamouring for the BJP government to come out clean on recent Delhi riots (February 24-25). Two, how it escaped the notice of a national daily which had no less than two big front page stories on the proceedings in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Indian Express also left out a very significant intervention by union minister Nitin Gadkari who rose up even as Congress MPs were staging a walk-out. “It’s such a sensitive issue. They (Congress) never lose an opportunity to curse the government. But when the home minister is answering, they are staging a walk-out without spelling out adequate reasons. It’s not a good example for democracy.”
Though Indian Express took note of the incidents of “hate speech” which Amit Shah spelled out in detail, it didn’t report some very significant points which the home minister made on the backdrop of Delhi riots.
“They are saying that Delhi riots began only when rallies in support of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) began hitting the streets,” said Shah “The fact is, there were more pro-CAA rallies than the anti-CAA rallies all along.”
“27 rallies I myself have attended,” remarked Shah “But if you keep your eyes and minds close, how would you see it.”
Shah challenged the opponents of CAA to show one clause which threatened the citizenship of any India, “leave alone Muslims.”
To those who say that their objection to CAA is that it’s being done on religious grounds, Shah said he could show 25 such operational laws which are on account of religion alone. “What do you think is Muslim Personal Law?” Shah retorted to underline that the criticism against CAA is a vicious propaganda and isn’t based on facts.
Indian Express, no need to add, didn’t cover these utterances by Shah also.
It’s been a pattern of Indian Express to leave no opportunity to criticize the Modi government but it employs a light-hand when it comes to narrative which goes against the Left-Liberal canards.
