Interacting with media persons at the sidelines of a programme organized in Mangalore on Saturday by Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike (KKSV), Ms. Setalvad rubbished the claim that there was an increase in Muslim votes cast in favour of Narendra Modi in Gujarat elections.
“We have to accept that Modi managed to maintain his hold in the state, but it would be false if we say that Muslims voted for him. The total anti BJP vote tally in Gujarat was around 49% which is almost half the entire votes cast in the state. The votes got divided between Congress, GPP and others and so was the case in Muslim votes. About 72-75% of the Muslims voted against the BJP but their votes got divided. They did not vote for Modi”, she said.
Speaking about the expensive election campaign put up for Modi, she said that lack of transparency therein gives way to a host of suspicion. “He hired a marketing firm and when a journalist asked for the details of their campaign and their expenses, they denied information. This secrecy gives way to suspicion as to where the funding came from”, she said.
Taking on the media for acting in favour of Modi, she said that media is too scared to go against him.
“Why is that he enjoys media's support in spite of a sitting MLA in his cabinet being ordered punishment by the court in Gujarat violence? When media can dub UPA government corrupt by bringing out the Suresh Kalmadi scam besides others, why is that the media did not dub Modi government communal or cruel when Mayeben and Baboo Bajrangi were pronounced guilty? The media is scared because they may get attacked. It is what happened to Headlines Today when they carried the Hindutva terror story. A journalist in your own Mangalore is in jail because he spoke against Hindutva forces”, she said.
Responding to a query as to whether she sees a parallel of Gujarat taking place in Karnataka, Ms. Setalvad responded in the affirmative and slammed former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. “Just by saying that he has changed now, he cannot convince us. What determines one's secular stand is whether one stands for equity and non-discrimination. There have been attacks on minorities under his nose in the past. Huge properties have been constructed by members of RSS under his regime. He has to do something substantial to prove that he stands for secularism now. Stands taken today are not an excuse to exonerate the past and the same goes for Modi which is why I feel the Naroda Patiya verdict was a huge victory for us”, she said.
Sharing her opinion on the burning issue of rape in the country, Ms. Setalvad said that the society needs to bring about a change within itself. The police as well as judiciary needs to be more sensitive to gender violence and there have to be time bound trials so that there is faster delivery of judgments in such cases, she said. Girls must be taught self defense and martial arts too, she opined.
Related: 'Hindutva has its roots in casteism'
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