Minister of State for Home Affairs on Monday downplayed Assam Governor PB Acharya’s ‘Hindustan for Hindus’ comment, saying that he did not use the word Hindus in a ‘religious context’.
Speaking to the media, Rijiju said, “Hindus does not mean religion. What he has said is according to the (ancient) ‘Sarvadharma Sambhav’ concept”.
Earlier on Sunday, during a book launch, Acharya said that ‘Hindustan is for Hindus’, and that a single Bangladeshi should not be included in the updating of the National Register for Citizens (NRC).
Responding to a question on the controversy surrounding the Centre’s notification of allowing religious minorities from Pakistan and Bangladesh fleeing persecution to seek shelter in India, the governor said:
“Hindustan is for Hindus. There is nothing wrong with that. Hindus from different countries can stay here. They cannot be outsiders. There is nothing to be feared about that. But how to accommodate them is a big question and we should think about that,” he said.
The Congress Party on Monday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Assam Governor PB Acharya’s ‘Indian Muslims are free to go to Pakistan or Bangladesh’ remark and alleged that he recruits communal people at important constitutional positions.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had on Sunday protested the comment, and asked for the removal of the governor. He said in a statement:
“To keep the unity of the state intact and to continue the development, a person with a broad mind should be appointed as the governor of the state.”
(With ANI inputs)