NEW DELHI
In a shocking incident that threatens India’s secular credentials, a lawmaker of India’s ruling coalition forced fed a fasting Muslim during the holy month of Ramadan.
Shiv Sena lawmaker Rajan Baburao Vichare admitted to his disgraceful act saying he was willing to apologise to the catering supervisor of Maharashtra Sadan Arshad Zubair after his party leaders refused the incident caught on the CCTV camera installed inside the building.
“I was protesting against the bad food served to us for the past two months. Despite repeated complaints no action has been taken. So I forced the catering supervisor to taste the rotten food that was served to us without realising he was a fasting Muslim. I had no intensions of hurting anyone’s religious sentiments and am willing to apologise for my action,” Vichare a first time lawmaker who represents Thane constituency of Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha said.
The nation woke up to this shocking incident that had taken place last week when daily Indian Express reported the incident in its Wednesday edition. Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes as soon as it met with opposition lawmakers waving copy of the newspaper and terming the incident as violation of religious beliefs.
Members of the Congress party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and People’s Democratic Party were up on their feet demanding suspension of the question hour and discussing the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sitting silently as Shiv Sena parliamentary party leader Anant Geete stoutly termed the incident as baseless not knowing that several television channels had already the CCTV clip and were already airing it.
“This is an auspicious month of Ramzan (Ramadan). Ramzan should be respected and would at least expect those who want to respect Ramzan not to mislead the House,” Geete said amidst din.
Indian Express reported that a group of 11 Shiv Sena lawmakers shoved a piece of roti into the mouth of Zubair being angry at the quality of food served to them and that they were not being served Maharashtrian food on Thursday last.
Since hundreds of lawmakers of the previous Lok Sabha have not yet vacated their official flats and bungalows, the newly elected lawmakers are putting up in some government hotels, guest houses and state houses. The group of Shiv Sena lawmakers were putting up at the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi area.
The 11 Shiv Sena lawmakers named in a complaint filed by the Maharashtra Resident Commissioner Bipin Mallick to the Maharashtra government include Sanjay Raut (Rajya Sabha), Anadrao Adsul (Amravati), Rajan Vichare (Thane), Arvind Sawant (Mumbai-South), Hemant Godse (Nashik), Krupal Tumane (Ramtek), Ravindra Gaikwad (Osmanabad), Vanayak Raut (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Shivaji Adhalrao Patil (Shirur), Rahul Shewale (Mumbai-South Central) and Shrikant Shinde (Kalyan).
Shiv Sena lawmakers by and large remained defiant insisting they did not know religion of the catering supervisor and never intended to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.“I deny the incident. It is totally false. If the incident had happened last week, why did anyone not complain about it,” Arvind Sawant, one of the Shiv Sena lawmakers named in the complaint said, while his colleague Anandrao Adsul said the incident was being blown out of proportion as they merely asked the supervisor to taste the food he had served them.
Their explanations, however, failed to pacify the enraged opposition. “Shiv Sena is not a responsible party. It has always been a group of anti-social people,” Tariq Anwar, general secretary of the Nationalist Congress party, which is partner in power with the Congress party in Maharashtra said.
Congress party’s spokesperson Manish Tewari demanded public apology. “The MPs should tender public apology. There is no place for this kind of majoritarianism,” Tewari said while his colleague and another Congress party spokesperson Rashid Alvi termed it against the constitution and secularism, demanding expulsion of the 11 accused as members of parliament.
“If there is any truth in this, the government must take strict action and arrest the MPs without any further delay,” former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and the Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said.
The Janata Dal (United), which rules Bihar, also demanded filing of FIR and immediate arrest of the accused MPs.
BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy, however, opted to give benefit of the doubt to the Sena lawmakers saying no one would do any such thing if they were aware of the catering supervisor’s religion.
