Bajaj group chairperson Rahul Bajaj told Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday that people are afraid to criticise the government. The industrialist was asking a question at an event organised by Economic Times, where Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were also present.
Addressing Amit Shah, Bajaj said, “The atmosphere that is prevalent, it’s in our minds but no one here will say. None of our industrialist friends will talk. I’ll say that openly.” His remark drew applause from the crowd.
“When UPA-II was in power, we could criticise anyone… You (the government) are doing good work, but despite that, we don’t have the confidence that you will appreciate if we criticise you openly,” he added.
Shah, however, disagreed and said that a lot is being written against the government, and people are writing.
“If you say there is a certain kind of atmosphere, we will have to make efforts to improve it. But I would like to point out that there is no need for anybody to be afraid. Everyone says everything in their affidavit as well as Parliament. No one wants to scare, and we have done nothing to be concerned about any criticism,” Shah responded.
Bajaj also brought up the matter of lynchings in the country and said that there is an “air of intolerance”.
“[Mohan] Bhagwat says that lynching is a foreign word — that lynching used to take place in the West. But, we know what means...that people are getting killed or something. These may be minor points but it creates an air. There’s an air of intolerance — we’re afraid. But there are some things I don’t want to say, but no one has been convicted so far,” he added.
To this, Amit Shah responded that lynchings took place earlier as well and that their incidence may have probably reduced now.
“But it is not correct that there have been no convictions. Several cases of lynchings have been concluded and there have been punishments but the media does not publish them,” he said.
The 81-year-old industrialist also questioned the government over giving BJP MP Pragya Thakur a ticket and her subsequent remarks about Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse being a patriot. He referred to Prime Minister Modi’s remarks prior to the election when Pragya had made a similar comment, and he said that he would never forgive her.
Amit Shah then replied that the statement was condemned by the party and that while there is confusion was talking about Godse or Udham Singh, she apologised in Parliament.
Watch the interaction here: