New Delhi [India], October 18 : Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the plight of Hindus in neighbouring countries and criticised the "silence of so-called moral preachers and custodians of human rights."
He emphasized that excessive tolerance of such transgressions is inappropriate and urged the public to reflect on these matters seriously.
Addressing the National Human Rights Commission's Foundation Day programme in New Delhi, Dhankhar said, "The most disheartening aspect of the plight of Hindus in our neighbourhood is the deepening silence of so-called moral preachers, custodians of human rights. They are exposed. They are mercenaries for something which is antithetical to human rights. Look at the kind of barbarity, torture, and traumatised experiences of boys, girls, and women. Look at our religious places being sacrilege. We are too tolerant and have been too tolerant of such transgressions. This is not appropriate. I call upon everyone in the country to seriously reflect, think if you were one of those," Dhankhar said.
He further said that evidence, episode after episode, is piling up that the deep state is engaging in lawfare against rising powers.
"Somehow, it seems they are unable to digest the rise of civilisational states in the international system who assert their own identity. Let me reflect a little away from the issue. Does the United Nations Security Council reflect a sense of human rights when it keeps one-sixth of humanity away from it? There has to be an auditing of its performance. The discourse of human rights is calibrated for political projects. Get a project, get money, get some people employed. You are applauded only when you talk negatively about this country. I know of an institution in the world that claims to be at its peak. They call them Ivy League institutions. A book has been written, Snakes in the Ganges over it," he said.
Dhankhar further pointed out the importance of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said that the act is an affirmative step to give citizenship to those who are being hunted, and persecuted and this is not limited to one religion, many religions.
"Domestically, we should be wary of elements that use human rights to advance their political agenda. I am addressing the community of politicians. Citizen Amendment Act--how can this be an issue? The act does not deprive any citizen of this country of his or her citizenship. The act does not handicap any person on the globe to take recourse to take citizenship of this country. The act is an affirmative step to give citizenship to those who are being hunted, and persecuted and this is not limited to one religion, many religions. Even such a soothing aspect is to be challenged. Well, we have a situation deep state takes shape only in this way. Therefore, nip it ruthlessly in the bud when it is seen," he said.
"Look at the prime example I indicated, there couldn't be a better gesture of social magnanimity collectively expressed by an act of parliament in CAA. Stateless refugees were to flee from India under severe repression for committing the "sin" of choosing to follow their conscience from our neighbourhood. They had the option to be here, they committed the "sin" of conscience when they were suffering day in and day out and this is being opposed. This balm is a soothing medicine that is being opposed on the plank of human rights. How sharper the serpent's tooth could it be?" Dhankhar said.
The Vice President said that always remember, human rights preservation, blossoming and sustainability are in our hands.
"It is our collective and societal duty that we must unfailingly perform," he said.
The unrest in Bangladesh began with student protests against the country's quota system, which reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives and dependents of freedom fighters. The protests eventually spread, demanding the abolition of the quota system, which was seen as discriminatory and contrary to equal opportunity rights.