New Delhi: Ex-Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, SY Qureshi, has expressed grave concern over the growing trend of hate speeches saying that the politics of hate accelerates with the start of election activities in India.
EX CEC Qureshi regretted that as the elections are approaching, politics of hate and hate speeches are increasing across India.
There are many laws in the Indian constitution for this, but despite this, politics of hatred has not stopped. He said that through the politics of hatred in India, voters are forced to vote for certain Hindutva organizations.
He said that most of the voters are divided. The phenomenon starts even before the election. He said that dividing votes through hate politics is a common thing in India. SY Qureshi said that in order to prevent hate speeches during elections, Election Commission can punish up to three years by taking action under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act as well as under Sections 295, 298, and 505.
However, he noted that in the prevailing situation in India, the officers do not take action due to political pressure. He said that if the authorities work under the law, hate speech can be completely banned in India, today.
In recent years, hate speech in all its varieties has acquired a systemic presence in the media and the internet, from electoral campaigns to everyday life. Abusive speech directed against minority communities, particularly Muslims and disinformation campaigns on media networks have made trolling and fake news significant aspects of public discourse.
Jason Stanley, a professor of philosophy at Yale University and the author of How Fascism Works, compared what is happening in India now to Nazi Germany. “The early thinkers of the RSS made explicit suggestions that India should follow the Nazi’s model.” Human Rights Watch in its annual report has criticized BJP-led government in India for adopting discriminatory policies against minority communities, including Muslims.
Moreover, Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism and UK-based Minority Rights Group International both have indicated that minority groups in India are increasingly encountering hate crimes, such as lynching, threats, attacks on places of worship and forced conversion.
It should be noted that the next general elections in India will be held in 2024, for which all the political parties have started their election campaign. Web Desk
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