Meghalaya guv's Allahu Akbar quip to dissenters

July 24, 2019 16:01

Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy weighs in on the letter written by 49 celebrities voicing concern over lynching and saying that Jai Shri Ram has been reduced to a provocative war cry.

Roy tweeted, "I have nothing against their holding such a view and petitioning the Prime Minister. All I ask is, have they said the same thing about 'Allahu Akbar'? I'm sure they haven't; and that is proof of their hypocrisy, their malafide intentions, their #DespicableDoubleStandards."

The letter, written by 49 eminent personalities, including filmmakers Shyam Benegal and Aparna Sen as well as vocalist Shubha Mudgal and historian Ramchandra Guha, also noted that Jai Shri Ram has been reduced to "provocative war cry".

"We, as peace loving and proud Indians, are deeply concerned about a number of tragic events that have been happening in recent times in our beloved country," the letter dated July 23 said.

"The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were shocked to learn from the NCRB that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016, and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions," it continued.

They also regretted that "Jai Shri Ram" has been reduced to a "provocative war cry" and alleged the prime minister's inaction on the issue. "Ram is sacred for the majority community, stop defiling the name of Ram," the letter read.

The signatories to the letter include Bengali cinema thespian Soumitro Chatterjee, southern filmmaker-actor Revathy, social activist Binayak Sen and sociologist Ashis Nandy.

Roy had stirred up a controversy in the wake of the Pulwama attack by endorsing a call to boycott "everything Kashmiri", including the Amarnath Yatra and purchasing products from the state.

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