Title: Regarding reported statement made by Hon’ble Prime Minister on Christians and missionaries.
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.
(RAIGANJ): Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to bring, through you, to the notice of the Government…
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, you are raising something about the statement which appeared in the newspapers about the statement made by the hon. Prime Minister. Why can you not raise it when the hon. Prime Minister is in this House? I think, that is better as you can get reply also.
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Mr. Speaker Sir, if you give a standing ruling that no Member, from this side or that side, will ever refer any matter which appears in the newspaper, I will sit down.
MR. SPEAKER: No. When the Prime Minister is there, you can raise it and can immediately get the reply also.
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Sir, let me raise it and let the Prime Minister or the Government respond whenever he or the Government feels proper.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on the 18th August, the Prime Minister, in his official residence – 7, Race Course Road – had several functions. One of the functions was to release a book amidst the Chief of RSS, Shri Sudershan and few other important functionaries of VHP. Sir, I am not questioning anything in regard to holding a function at his house.
He is the Prime Minister and he has every right to invite friends and people whom he considers important. However, the important thing is that being the head of the NDA Government and knowing fully the agenda of the NDA — the Prime Minister told in this House that the agenda of the NDA is different from that of the BJP and the RSS — he chose not the BJP platform but his official residence to make a comment that some of the Christian missionaries, though a few of them do good work, are engaged in ‘conversion’, and that RSS has a lot of things to be praised. I think, it is something very obnoxious.
“Mr. Vajpayee’s remarks cast aspersions on the long history of social service by Christians and has brought in a cloud of insecurity for the minorities, in general, and Christian missionaries, in particular.”The Prime Minister may applaud the RSS; it is his business. He found a lot of good things in the RSS. He felt pained that, “the RSS, when a few activists have been killed, never gets any mention in the country, and that only the Christians get a mention.” How can the Prime Minister make such comments? (Interruptions) In today’s Hindustan Times, the Head of the Council of Christian Missionaries made a remark that, “We are upset with the comment of the Prime Minister which will give strength to those who are about to destroy the Churches and the Missionaries.”
MR. SPEAKER: Are you authenticating the statement appeared in the papers because you are referring to one of the highest institutions of the country? Do you know as to what he had said and what had appeared in the papers?
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Mr. Speaker, Sir, I quote … (Interruptions)
DR. VIJAY KUMAR MALHOTRA (SOUTH DELHI): Where from are you quoting?
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : I am quoting from the Hindustan Times, the Hindu, the Indian Express and from all the national dailies of the country. Where else I can quote from? They can either term or declare all the dailies as anti-national.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I take full responsibility of authenticating as to what the Prime Minister stated and what was reported in the newspapers. The news item appeared not in one newspaper but in all national dailies. … (Interruptions)
श्री मोहन रावले (मुम्बई दक्षिण मध्य) :सर, प्रधान मंत्री श्रीमती इन्दिरा गांधी ने कहा था कि मिशनरियों के लिए बाहर से पैसा आ रहा है …( व्यवधान)
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : It was reported and I quote:
“He pointed out that while the work of Christian missionaries in the North-East came in for much praise from the media, the recent killings of four Sangh activists by terrorists in Tripura had hardly received a mention.”He also said and I quote:
“There was a ‘conversion motive’ behind the welfare activities being carried out by some Christian missionaries in the country’s backward areas and it was ‘not proper’.”MR. SPEAKER: Please conclude.
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Mr. Speaker, Sir, now I quote Mr. Vincent M. Concessao, who is the Chairman of the Northern Region Catholic Council. He said and I quote:
“The Prime Minister’s remarks will only encourage communal and extremist elements…”MR. SPEAKER: Please conclude. I have allowed you to speak. Please conclude now. This is ‘Zero Hour’, and you can mention a matter in two minutes.… (Interruptions)
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : It is a matter concerning secularism in India.
MR. SPEAKER: Please understand that this is not a debate.… (Interruptions)
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : It is a matter concerning the minorities.
MR. SPEAKER: Please conclude now. Please understand that this is not a debate.
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Sir, the Chairman of the Northern Region Catholic Council said and I quote:
“The Prime Minister’s remarks will only encourage communal and extremist elements such as the Sangh Parivar. Our anxiety is more because the statement was made at a function lauding the RSS.”The Prime Minister, therefore, has to give a categorical clarification inside the House either today or tomorrow, at whatever time he feels convenient.
The hidden agenda is now being operated through the Prime Minister directly.
(BOLPUR): Sir, you in your wisdom called the hon. Member to make a mention. If the Opposition is not allowed even to raise a matter, how can the House function?
Secondly, this is not a matter of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee as an individual. He made a commitment on the floor of the House that NDA would not implement the agenda of BJP or RSS. He said that the agenda of NDA was different from the agenda of BJP and RSS. He assured the House, and through the House the country, that the agenda of NDA and the agenda of RSS were different from one another. That assurance is now being breached. From what he is alleged to have said, it appears that the real agenda of the Prime Minister is the RSS agenda. Let the Prime Minister come to the House and clarify the position.
:अध्यक्ष जी,प्रधान मंत्री ने जो कहा है, हम पूरी तरह से उससे सहमत हैं। प्रधान मंत्री जी के इन वाक्यों के लिए हम उनको बधाई देना चाहते हैं कि उन्होंने देश में इस तरह की बात कही। प्रधान मंत्री जी ने खाली यह नहीं कहा कि कनवर्शन नहीं हो सकता, प्रधान मंत्री जी ने खाली यह नहीं कहा कि यहां पर धर्म का प्रचार नहीं कर सकते। उन्होंने इसकी तारीफ की कि ये लोग बैकवर्ड एरियाज़ में सेवा भाव से काम कर रहे हैं, परंतु जो लोग कुछ लालच देकर जबर्दस्ती धर्म परिवर्तन करवा रहे हैं, वह ठीक नहीं है। …( व्यवधान)अध्यक्ष महोदय, मध्य प्रदेश, उड़ीसा और अरुणाचल प्रदेश में कांग्रेस की सरकारों के समय ही एन्टी कनवर्शन बिल बने, कांग्रेस के मुख्य मंत्रियों ने ही वह बनाए।…( व्यवधान)प्रधान मंत्री जी ने जो कहा, हम उसका समर्थन करते हैं।
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Prime Minister is deliberately creating tension among the minorites by making such statements regularly. … (Interruptions) The Prime Minister should come here and clarify the position. … (Interruptions) Sir, when would the Prime Minister clarify the position? … (Interruptions) When will he respond to the issue?
MR. SPEAKER: Right in the beginning I said that the issue should be raised when the Prime Minister is present in the House. … (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: If you had raised the matter when he was present, you could have got a proper reply. … ()