Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is likely to participate in the ‘intolerance’ debate today. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is likely to participate in the ‘intolerance’ debate today.

Opposition on Tuesday targeted government in the Lok Sabha over the issue of ‘intolerance’, saying instead of “developed India”, a “divided India” was coming to the fore and it is a matter of serious concern.

Highlights of the day:

6:29 pm Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow.

6:23 pm Yes we have become intolerant now. We are no more tolerant towards corruption, terrorism, dirt,” said Rajnath.

6:20 pm Yes I agree every minister and MPs must give statements sensibly. They must express their view in such a way that it cannot be misinterpreted. We have asked all our leaders to avoid making such statements. Now what does the Opposition wants? Rajnath.

6:17 pm As far as VK Singh’s comment is concerned and alleged PM’s silence on it. I want to ask had the PMs in past reacted on every incidents: Rajnath.

Watch Video: Rahul Tears Into Govt, Rajnath Defends in Parliament (app users click here)



6:15 pm “Our government in Maharashtra was not silent on the attack on Pansare. Actions were taken and many were arrested. Even for Kalburgi murder we are ready for all type of cooperation to the Karnataka government,” said Rajnath.

6:12 pm “The advisory by UP govt on Dadri had no mention of communalism. No mention of cow meat. If UP govt had asked for CBI inquiry into the incident, the Home Ministry was ready for that. But a minister of UP govt chose to take the issue to United Nation,” said Rajnath.

6:10 pm Ready to speak on Dadri also but Opposition is not ready to listen. They are becoming intolerant by raising noise: Rajnath

6:07 pm There are people who think there is no freedom of speech in India. A Muslim cleric last week said Lord Sri Ram was born in Pakistan. Still there was not reaction from majority. Can he says all this about Islamic god? Rajnath

6:04 pm Home Minister is talking about Saudi Arabia and USA etc but not talking about statements of his party members and MPs: Mallikarjun Kharge

6:01 pm Rajnath talks about situation in Islamic countries, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says talk about situation in India.

6:00 pm Speaker Sumitra Mahajan warns CPM leader Mohd Salim for disrupting the proceedings constantly.

5:58 pm Uproar in Lok Sabha as Rajnath responds to Opposition charges of intolerance.

5:57 pm I want to assure the people of this country, if anyone will try to disturb the social harmony of this country, he will be punished: Rajnath

5:55 pm If there is social tolerance anywhere in the world, it’s in India: Rajnath

5:49 pm One of the returnees of the award had once said that a person like Modi is a source of anxiety and he is not fit to rule India. I want to say that they are not even respecting people’s mandate: Rajnath

5:47 pm If any political party is victim of intolerance it is BJP. And if any person is the biggest victim of intolerance, it is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Rajnath

5:46 pm Allegations of intolerance is serious. Is India not fit to live? Rajnath

5:41 pm Tolerance is in our tradition and culture. Why Intolerance is given more importance than tolerance. We are not tolerant under pressure, but we are tolerant by nature: Rajnath

5:39 pm Tolerance means accepting views or things without agreeing to them: Rajnath

5:38 pm Rajnath thanks all leaders for giving their views on intolerance: Rajnath

5:38 pm Home Minister Rajnath Singh begins speech in Lok Sabha

5:35 pm Rajya Sabha adjourned till tomorrow.

5:30 pm PM Modi quotes Max Muller to end speech. “If there is heaven in the world I will say it’s India,” says Modi.

5:29 pm People don’t need to give proof of their patriotism every now and then: PM Modi

5:28 pm We have to look for reasons for uniting people; keep promoting unity and harmony: PM Modi

5:26 pm Baba Saheb Ambedkar used to say that industrialization is very important for India: PM Modi

5:25 pm Our constitution is a social document, it is not about only laws: PM Modi

5:18 pm I am certain that the PM doesn’t see a contradiction. Will he stand by and watch his colleagues crush the voice of our people?: Rahul Gandhi

5:15 pm Unless we stop favoritism, we won’t grow: PM Modi

5:10 pm India is successful because we have embraced our people. Our strength is our tolerance: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Speaking on intolerance in Parliament. Watch: https://t.co/jKM6cT12NJ — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 1, 2015

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5:09 pm Pakistan’s weakness is their intolerance. Their leaders don’t hear the voice of their people: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

5:08 pm Let us learn from that and listen to our own people, give them their voice: Rahul Gandhi in LS

5:07 pm Govt talks of “Skill India”, yet when FTII students complain of a mediocre man placed on top of the institute, the voice is crushed: Rahul Gandhi

5:06 pm What happened in Gujarat? The Gujarat Model burst like balloon and Patidar protest broke out: Rahul Gandhi

5:05 pm Today in India, protest is considered sedition: Rahul Gandhi

5:04 pm I am sure during meetings,there would have been pressure from all corners,different views,but still we got a perfect constitution: PM Modi

5:03 pm Arun Jaitley ji said protests were manufactured. Arun ji this isn’t a dream like your Make In India, this is reality: Rahul Gandhi

5:02 pm A Muslim man is killed in cold blood. The man ultimately responsible for his protection, the PM, remained silent: Rahul Gandhi

5:01 pm He (VK Singh) has directly challenged the constitution by equating Dalit children with dogs: Rahul Gandhi

5:00 pm Our PM has let a man like that (VK Singh) continue as a Minister, says Rahul Gandhi in Lk Sabha.

4:59 pm Uproar in Lok Sabha as Rahul Gandhi brings up VK Singh’s dog comment.

4:56 pm: While I heard the PM I could see how profoundly we differ in our thinking: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

4:53 pm: It’s necessary that the coming generation respect the struggle faced by our leaders while framing the constitution: PM Modi.

4:52 pm Constitution of India need to be respected. We need to make our coming generation familiar with the Constitution: PM Modi

4:51 pm The main reason behind celebrating our constitution was to make our young people aware of our great leaders of the past: PM Modi

4:50 pm Constitution our guiding light: PM Modi

4:50 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in Rajya Sabha while Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi speaks in Lok Sabha at the same time.

4:50 pm We are often being termed Pakistani in the country. How long will this continue to happen, said Owaisi.

4:49 pm “How in India supporting a political party becomes a question of patriotism in this country. Why after 68 years of independence Muslims don’t get flats on rent. Why if I support Congress view and object to BJP I become anti-national. And why if I support BJP and not Congress I am called non-secular,” said Owaisi.

4:47 pm MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi speaks about discrimination against Muslims in the country after 68 years of independence.

4:39 pm “27 years after ban was imposed on Salman Rushdie’ book, Congress leader is saying it was a mistake. This proves that there was intolerance in the country when they were ruling it. Opposition talks about last 17 months. I ask them what was happening in the country 27 years ago when they were in power,” said Rijiju.

4:36 pm “If there ever was intolerance in the country, it was in 1975 when Emergency was imposed when people’s right was suspended. Intolerance was in country when over 3000 Sikhs were massacred in the country and the prime minister justified the killings saying earth shakes when a big tree falls,” said Rijiju.

4:33 pm People abroad who read news on website must be thinking that the country is burning. But that is not the case here: Rijiju.

4:33 pm Kiren Rijiju replies to Tharoor’s claim that Make in India cannot be promoted abroad and practice Hate in India at home.

4:06 pm Tharoor lauds Narendra Modi’s way of handling the crowd during the bomb blast at his Patna rally before Lok Sabha elections. ” I want to know the same what has gone wrong with Modi, who displayed great sense of responsibility during the bomb blast at his rally to avoid panic,” said Tharoor.

4:04 pm Safer to be a cow than a Muslim in India, says Shashi Tharoor

4:03 pm We cannot promote Make in India abroad while promoting intolerance in the country: Tharoor

4:00 pm Congress leader Shashi Tharoor speaks in Lok Sabha on intolerance.

3:30 pm BJP MP Kirron Kher thanks NDA govt for respecting film industry.

2:45 pm: NCP MP Supriya Sule asks the ruling party to rise to the occasion and introspect over issues like ‘ghar wapsi’ and ‘award wapsi’.

Rajnath ji, please tell your ministers and colleagues to think before you talk, says Sule.

Let’s not run down Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. They have worked globally for India, says Sule.

1.05 pm: Must stop playing caste politics, says TDP MP Jayadev Galla

Speaking during the intolerance debate in Lok Sabha, Galla said politicians must stop dividing people on the basis of caste and religion as it only hurts the nation.

“We are misusing the word intolerance,” Galla said, adding that issues like the murder of Dabholkar or the Dadri lynching must be condemned but at the same time questioned how the NDA government at the Centre could be responsible, saying law and order is a state issue.

“State governments must take action against such elements and the role of the Centre, if any, must be proved before allegations against the Centre,” Galla said.

11.40 am: Govt must make stand clear on where it stands, says Derek O’Brien

Speaking on the discussion of India’s commitment to the Indian constitution, O’Brien quoted MS Golwakar, saying the Modi government must clarify what its stand on the Indian Constitution is.

“The non-Hindu people of Hindustan must either adopt Hindu culture and language, must learn and respect and hold in reverence the Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but of those of glorification of the Hindu race and culture … In a word they must cease to be foreigners, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment—not even citizens’ rights.”

M. S. Golwalkar had said.

11.25 am: Congress MP Ashok Chavan asks govt what steps have been taken to end farmer crisis

“More that 3000 farmers are committing suicide in Maharashtra, my question to the government is when are they going to release funds to better the situation.” Chavan was speaking on the impact of climate change on farmers.

In his response, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the Centre has spoken to state government’s across the country on the issue. “Our team has returned from Maharashtra and in two or three days they will have a meeting… we will address all issues,” Singh said.

11.05 am: MPs raise questions on communal violence during Question Hour

Opposition MPs took the opportunity to raise concerns about communal violence during the Question Hour forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to intervene and urged MPs to restrict their ‘statements’ to ‘questions.’

Responding to the questions, MoS Home Kiren Rijiju said there were cases of violence that were happening across the country, but it needs to be determined which cases were communal and which were not.

Rijiju said the government had no panel to look into cases of communal violence.

10.55 am: Don’t make provocative statements, BJP MPs told

As the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting ended, PTI reports that BJP MPs have been instructed not to make any provocative statement that could disrupt the functioning of the House.

“BJP MPs told not to make provocative statements as it deflects from PM Narendra Modi’s developmental agenda,” Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

The government is banking on the support of the Opposition to push important legislation like the GST Bill.

10.45 am: Left protest outside Parliament House

Earlier this morning, Left parties protested against the government’s handling of yesterday’s developments in the House. The protests were led by Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury.

10.00 am: BJP holds Parliamentary Party meet

BJP MPs met this morning to discuss their strategy ahead of what is expected to be a stormy day in Parliament, given Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will both debate the issue of ‘intolerance’.

BJP Parliamentary Party meeting underway in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/kTfw8jgihf — ANI (@ANI_news) December 1, 2015

Watch video: Decoding the ‘intolerance’ debate in Parliament

On Monday, Lok Sabha witnessed clashes and repeated adjournments as it took up the debate on ‘intolerance’ with the opposition targeting the government and triggering a storm after a CPI(M) member attributed ‘Hindu leader’ comments to Home Minister Rajnath Singh who denied it.

The comments by Mohd Salim, who cited an Outlook magazine report while initiating the debate on ‘intolerance, led to a deadlock with the ruling side demanding that he either withdraw these comments or apologise.

The logjam, because of which the House was adjourned four times, was resolved in the evening after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expunged the remarks related to the allegations.

This paved the way for resumption of the debate during which opposition parties like CPI(M) and Congress attacked the government, alleging that intolerance had increased since the NDA government came.

BJP hit back by saying that incidents, which were being projected by the opposition as examples of ‘intolerance’, had been taking place in the country for decades. Its member Meenakshi Lekhi also cited Home Ministry figures to insist that incidents of communal violence had come since NDA came to power.

In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition raked up the “intolerance” issue to target the government which said “some amount” of intolerance has been there in the society even before the NDA rule which needed to be identified and dealt with firmly, instead of generalising it.

Members of the opposition parties like Congress, NCP and BSP sought to corner the government citing incidents of violence against minorities and dalits to suggest “anarchy” and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take strict action against ruling party members for “provocative” comments.

BSP chief Mayawati went to the extent of saying that Union Minister V K Singh should be “jailed” for his ‘dog’ remarks after the killing of two Dalit children in Haryana.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said such incidents “have been happening” and not started overnight after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister.

“There is some amount of intolerance in the society, in different areas. That has to be identified, it has to be localised, it has to be dealt with firmly. Instead of that, we are making it generalised,” he said as he referred to instances of killing of dalits and writers in certain states.

“Some people making out of turn statement, we have to condemn, we have to isolate them… they have to be condemnd and disowned,” he said.

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