Indirectly attacking the Muslims, Singh said, “Chanting Vande Matram may be an emotion. But if you are living in India, then Vande Matram is a must. It is in Sanskrit and can be translated into Urdu too. Those who do not want to chant it by heart have no right to live in India. If it is in my hand, I would send such people to Pakistan within one week after making their passports.”

Singh then criticized the people who make excuses for not singing the national song. “Their double standards are revealed if they are not chanting Vande Matram and Bharat Mata ki Jai citing difference in languages.”

In 2018, Singh had sent a similar message by saying, “Mein spasht roop se kehta hun ki jo log Bharat Mata ki Jai aur Vande Matram kehne se perhez karte hai, wo Pakistan ke hain.” (I clearly state that those who have reservations in saying Bharat Mata ki Jai or Vande Matram belong to Pakistan). Further, he reiterated his party’s Hindutva agenda by saying that by 2024 India would become a Hindu nation and once it becomes Hindu Rashtra, only those Muslims will stay in the country that assimilate into the Hindu culture.

It seems as if in the current era, the minorities have to constantly prove their patriotism and loyalty to the nation if they wish to stay in their own country of which they are legal citizens.

Singh has repeatedly stooped to a new low by his communal remarks and sexist slurs. In March, when there were rumours of Haryanvi singer-dancer Sapna Chaudhary joining the Congress, Singh had attacked her and Sonia Gandhi with his misogynistic jibe. He said, “Rahul ji ki Mata ji bhi Italy mein isi peshe se thi. Jaise aapke pitaji ne Sonia ji ko apna bana liya tha, aapne bhi Sapna ko apna bana liya hai.” (Rahul’s mother was also in the same profession in Italy and how his father made her his own; he should also take the family tradition forward and make Sapna his own). Continuing with his chauvinistic rant, Singh said, “Indian politics will never accept dancers to lead the nation as against a “charitravaan” and “imaandar” leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Earlier, Singh had even attacked the BSP supremo Mayawati with his racist remarks. Responding to Mayawati’s attack on Modi over the use of ‘Chowkidar’, Singh had said, “Mayawati ji khud roz facial karwati hain, vo kya humare neta ko kya shaukeen kahengi. Vastra pehenna koi shaukeen baat nahi hoti. Shaukeeni ki baat to yeh hoti hai ki baal paka hua hai aur rangeen karwake ke aaj bhi apne aap ko Mayawati ji jawan saabit karti hain. 60 varsh umar ho gayi lekin sab baal kaale hain.” (Mayawati herself gets her facial done every day, how can she ask anyone about their tastes and style of living. Wearing clothes is not a luxury. Luxury is when you get your hair coloured to come across as young while you are in fact 60-year-old.)

In another deplorable statement, in June 2018, Singh said that prostitutes are better than government officials, as they at least “work” after charging money.

Singh said, “Officials se accha charitra vaishyaon ka hota hai, woh paisa lekar kam se kam apna kaam toh karti hain aur stage pe naachti hain. Par yeh officials toh paisa lekar bhi aapka kaam karenge ki nahi, iski koi guarantee hi nahi hai.” (Prostitutes are better than government officials; at least they take money and do their work and also dance on the stage. But these officials, even after taking money, don’t do their work. There is no guarantee that the work will be done).

In July 2018, after the Unnao rape case, Singh made an extremely callous remark by saying that even Lord Ram couldn’t stop rapes. “I can only say one thing that incidents of rapes cannot be stopped even if Lord Ram comes on earth. Such incidents are natural pollution of society and can only be controlled by inculcating good values in the society. The Constitution of the country can’t do much to stop rapes. The criminals can only be sent behind bars,” Singh had said.
Singh even defended the accused, BJP MLA Kuldip Singh, by saying, “I am speaking from psychological point of view; no one can rape a mother of three children. It is not possible, this is a conspiracy against him.” He later urged the Hindu couples to have at least five children to make ‘Bharat mazboot’ (strong).

Earlier, BJP MP Harish Dwivedi, too, when asked about Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into active politics, said, “Priyanka Gandhi wears jeans and top in Delhi but turns up in a saree whenever she visits the people in her constituency in UP.”
Congress responded with more sexism with the Minister from Madhya Pradesh, Sajjan Singh Verma, mocking BJP minister Hema Malini by saying that BJP makes her dance for votes.

Despite such regressive and misogynistic thinking along with a history of physical violence, such as supporting the sand mafia activities in Ballia, Singh continues to hold his political position and has the audacity to keep on passing such outrageous remarks. Inaction by the BJP, in spite of such hate mongering by its members, reflects the right-wing supremacist party’s ideologies and its hypocrisy of portraying itself as a progressive party dedicated to women rights and development for all.

With the struggle for power intensifying, politics has become like a dirty verbal battleground with politicians making personal, communal, sexist and racist remarks with the only objective of demeaning the opposition.
From sexist slurs to name calling, from personal remarks to questioning each other’s faith, from doubting nationalism to ‘you’re a Pakistani’ declarations, it’s all happening this election season!

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The post Those Not Chanting Vande Matram have no Right to Live in India’: BJP MLA Surendra Singh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image Courtesy: India TV

On media reports of the induction of popular Haryanvi actress and dancer Sapna Singh to the Congress, the MLA said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi is following the footsteps of his father, the late Rajiv Gandhi by inducting a “dancer” in Congress, insulting not only the politician but also the community of dancers and actors. “Rahul ji ki Mata ji bhi Italy mein isi peshe se thi. Jaise aapke pitaji ne Sonia ji ko apna bana liya tha, aap bhi Sapna ko apna banaye. Sabse acchi baat hai saas aur bahu ek hi peshe aur culture se rahengi. (Rahul Gandhi’s mother (Sonia Gandhi) was in the same profession when she was in Italy. The way your (Rahul Gandhi’s) father started a family with Sonia ji, you should also start a family with Sapna Chaudhary. The best thing is both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will be from the same dancing profession),” Singh said.

In April 2018, the MLA compared West Bengal (WB)’s Chief Minister with the mythological figure Surpanakha saying,“Mamata Banerjee is playing the role of Surpanakha. People are getting killed on streets and she being the Chief Minister is not doing anything about it, such leaders are not good. Hindus are not safe in Bengal. If nothing is done about it, Bengal will face situation like that in Jammu and Kashmir. Hindus will be ousted from Bengal just like it happened in Jammu and Kashmir”. It must be known that although Surpanakha is portrayed as a demon in upper caste, Brahmanical narratives, she is perceived as a Goddess among many communities.

MLA Singh has an interesting trajectory. He is the resident of Chandpur village of Ballia Lok Sabha constituency. Singh graduated in 1983 and finished his Bachelors of Education (B. Ed.) in 1984. He completed his Masters of Arts (MA) in 1987. After this, he started working as a teacher in the nearby Dube Chapra village. However, much before he started teaching officially he had also started attending classes conducted by the Sangh. He became a Sangh pracharak alongside. His role as a pracharak saw several promotions. However, he separated from the Sangh in 2003 and formed his organisation called Dwaba Vikas Manch and even nominated an independent candidate from his organisation for 2003 Assembly elections. Bharat Singh, BJP’s candidate, supported by the Sangh lost elections. Between 2011 and 2012 Surendra Singh joined Congress and left. Thereafter, his proximity with BJP grew again, especially when Bharat Singh was contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Ballia. After Bharat Singh became a member of the 16^th Lok Sabha, he extended support to Surendra Singh and in 2017 Surendra Singh became an MLA. However, now he has become a thorn in the eyes of Bharat Singh. His speech about India and Pakistan was also delivered atBharat Singh’s program.

Surendra Singh has had a history of physical violence too, in the area. He has been accused of supporting the sand mafia active in Ballia, which lies on UP-Bihar border.

Despite this barrage of ultra-regressive, misogynistic rhetoric, he has carried on with his rampage and his political career indicating the inclination of the party he belongs to. On the one hand the BJP is trying to project itself as champions of the cause of Muslim women by bringing an ordinance that criminalises Triple Talaq, effectively denying Muslim women any agency on the recourse available to them, on the other such politicians are given a free hand to go on with their act. This is also a way to stay in sensationalist mainstream news and to appeal to others who have such misogyny internalised.Moreover, BJP has had a history of such politicians who get away with hate and extreme speech. Sangeet Som, Suresh Rana being just a few of them.

MLA Singh’s statements are clearly not an exception. They seem crucial for a worldview that is both based on othering and hatred. On law, it is also unconstitutional. For the RSS and BJP, however, stoking such sentiments is clearly a necessity for survival.

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