Book of Integration Council New - Ministry of Home Affairs

arely the technique of transmitting civilization that what Will Durant said in his history
and we have to cultivate that technique. Therefore, we are all people who are
sophisticated. We are all the people who have the privilege of education, privilege of
being Members of parliament and yet we behave just like the rabble. I am very sorry to
say that, and we all therefore sir to cure ourselves before we preach and therefore I
very much welcome what Mr. Bardhan said that this gathering sir, should meet a little
more often Every six months or every year perhaps, even six months may be even
better. That should we can all ventilate our individual grievances because nobody in
parliament vents his all grievances. We all walk out of parliament. So I would
respectfully suggest sir, that this is a very well timely thing, we can’t achieve everything.
We can’t prevent violence, I agree and please if you want to ban anything. I say ban
intolerance, but how do you ban intolerance. You can’t ban intolerence unless you
preach and propagate tolerance. By law, you can’t do it, therefore I am against banning
anything. Everybody says ban this party, ban that party, I say no. You do it by persuasion,
if you can. Use the provisions of the penal code if you can. Why no prosecution is
being launched, just because we don’t have the will to launch prosecution. 295A of the
penal code says any one who incites religious hatred has to be prosecuted, prosecute
him. Nobody will give him bail, if you do it, but you are not doing it. I don’t know who
is not doing it. Yes, use 355, use it and I don’t agree with the Supreme Court verdict
that is an observation that says that 356 only follows upon 355. It does not. 356 stands,
355 stands alone and must be used alone. Thank you sir, I have taken so much time.
Home Minister : May I request Mr. Asgar Ali Engineer to make his statement.
Shri Asgar Ali Engineer
Thank you sir, for this opportunity. First thing I would like to say that in the
meeting of National Integration Council last time 3 years ago, it was decided here
that this meeting will be held every year and unfortunately this was totally forgotten
so much so that when country was burning, I along with Swami Agnivesh Ji and
Thampu Ji, had to write a letter to Prime Minister to convene the meeting of National
Integration Council. I would also like to say that a sub committee was formed to
study pattern of communal violence and recommend measures to stop communal
riots. I was member and Hon’ble Minister of State, Home, Jaiswal Ji, was its
Chairman. We formulated recommendations to, there were five members on that
committee and we finalized recommendation and we hoped that soon these
recommendations will be implemented and National Integration Council meeting will
be called to discuss it. Nothing happened. It is this kind of casual attitude to this
burning question which perpetrates, hatred and communal violence in this country.
I would also like to say that I began my fight against communalism in 1961 after
Jabalpur riots and I was very hopeful then that we will succeed in one day. It is
more than 45 years and I find more and more communal violence spreading in this
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