Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. (PTI/File photo) Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. (PTI/File photo)

Amid protests on the growing incidents of violence against citizens in the name of cow vigilantism, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said that lynching cases are criminal and painting them with communal colour is equivalent to helping the criminals. He also reiterated his belief that tolerance is an integral part of India.

“Tolerance is in the DNA of our country and its culture. Intolerance is unacceptable to each section of the society. Secondly, such incidents (being reported as cases of lynching) are purely criminal ones. If you paint the criminal incidents with communal colour, it is akin to helping criminals,” he said.

In a reference to the alleged growing extremism in the country, Naqvi said that India never traded the path of a “Talibani mindset” (a fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan) and will not do so in future, too. “Those who talk about intolerance, NGOs and other organisations, they should look at other countries to know the conditions of minorities living there,” the minister added.

Naqvi also said that “such” incidents take the focus away from real issues in hand. He also added that anyone involved in such cases is being dealt with iron hand. Emphasising on the Modi government’s commitment to inclusive growth, the minister added, “We are committed to ensure the agenda of destruction does not dominate the agenda of development.”

(With inputs from PTI)

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