Boston: It is “worrisome” that scholars may now be influenced and “imprisoned” by their likes and dislikes instead of commenting on facts, Finance Minister Nirmala sitharaman has said, as he took a dig at the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen For his views about the BJP government.
During a conversation organized by the Mosawar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government on Tuesday, the Harvard professor questioned Sitharaman. Lawrence Summers That “number of people in our community”, especially the economist Sen, expressed “rather strong reservations” regarding the BJP government.
He added that there is a feeling that the legacy of tolerance has been “too much called into question” and that “the attitude of your government towards the Muslim population is something that comes between the United States, our values of universality and inclusion.” Looking at, and India.”
During an interaction at Harvard Kennedy School, Sitharaman said the issue of violence even in BJP-ruled states “will not be at the prime minister’s doorstep because it is in line with my statement.”
Sitharaman said she was “Dr. Amartya Sen, whom you mentioned,” and “I will think for each and every one of us”, “he goes to India, roams freely and finds out what’s going on.” This will help us to know, especially a scholar, who is speaking on the basis of facts.”
“No. It is worrisome that scholars may now be influenced more by their personal likes and dislikes than by commenting on facts. It is indeed worrying that scholars may be imprisoned because of their likes and dislikes, not uniform Instead of being, look at the facts and figures in front of them, and then speak up,” she said.
“It is one thing and putting it on the basis of facts is another thing entirely. If opinion becomes my bias, there is no way I can combat it,” Sitaraman said.
She said that “sometimes it’s an attempt to wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. If you’re really asleep, I can tap your shoulder and say, ‘Please wake up’.” But if you’re pretending to sleep, will you wake up. You can’t, you won’t. And I’m fooling myself into thinking I’m waking you up.”
He told the audience that in India, “law and order is a subject that each province has its own.”
If in the United States, there is a problem in a particular state, it cannot be a problem that the President of the United States has to deal with with the Governor of that state.
“It is the same in India. There are provinces that are not ruled by the party to which the prime minister belongs. Not even last night, even a day before last night, last night also in the state which is governed… Crimes have happened in the party whose prime minister is, the poorest of the poor have been killed, some have died.
“But that too will be at the Prime Minister’s doorstep as it is in line with my statement. This is not correct because in that state, in that province, the law and order is governed by the elected chief minister of that area, who is not even a party man to the prime minister. Modi,” He said.
Sitharaman said, ‘Tell me how many people criticized Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in such derogatory terms, called him by name, abused him. Have any of them been touched, have they been questioned. Whereas in non-BJP ruled states, when Chief Ministers are questioned, they first have to be arrested and put in jail. I will name the states where this has happened.
“In fact, some of them are still jailed for speaking ill about a particular elected chief minister, who belongs to an opposition party. Will the same scholars who are talking about Prime Minister Modi also comment on those states and say what is happening – India’s tolerant culture,” she said.
He recalled that when Modi came to power in 2014, there had been a series of attacks on churches.
“And there were voices again. People returned their awards, the Padma awards that we give in the country, the highest civilian award, saying ‘this government is against minorities, the way Christians are being treated’. ‘Churches are being attacked, look,'” she said.
He said that in whichever state this happened, it has its own investigation, committees and police of the respective states.
“The prime minister had nothing to do with it. You will be surprised to know that each one of these attacks came to light after proper investigation that they have nothing to do with the Prime Minister, they have nothing to do with the BJP, they have nothing to do with any communal angle. .
“But the blame was put at the door of the Prime Minister. The awards were returned saying, ‘Uff it’s hard for me to live in this country, oh my minorities are being offended’. It turns out that none of them had anything to do with the communal angle, and none of them had anything to do with the BJP or the Prime Minister,” she said.
He said that similarly, after 2019 when Prime Minister Modi came back with an even better, stronger mandate, “this campaign which is saying that there is communal violence, communal whatever.
“Again the question of law and order being a state subject. Each state has its own. Heinous violence has taken place in the states where parties that do not care for the BJP. Is this also for the Prime Minister to answer?
During a conversation organized by the Mosawar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government on Tuesday, the Harvard professor questioned Sitharaman. Lawrence Summers That “number of people in our community”, especially the economist Sen, expressed “rather strong reservations” regarding the BJP government.
He added that there is a feeling that the legacy of tolerance has been “too much called into question” and that “the attitude of your government towards the Muslim population is something that comes between the United States, our values of universality and inclusion.” Looking at, and India.”
During an interaction at Harvard Kennedy School, Sitharaman said the issue of violence even in BJP-ruled states “will not be at the prime minister’s doorstep because it is in line with my statement.”
Sitharaman said she was “Dr. Amartya Sen, whom you mentioned,” and “I will think for each and every one of us”, “he goes to India, roams freely and finds out what’s going on.” This will help us to know, especially a scholar, who is speaking on the basis of facts.”
“No. It is worrisome that scholars may now be influenced more by their personal likes and dislikes than by commenting on facts. It is indeed worrying that scholars may be imprisoned because of their likes and dislikes, not uniform Instead of being, look at the facts and figures in front of them, and then speak up,” she said.
“It is one thing and putting it on the basis of facts is another thing entirely. If opinion becomes my bias, there is no way I can combat it,” Sitaraman said.
She said that “sometimes it’s an attempt to wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. If you’re really asleep, I can tap your shoulder and say, ‘Please wake up’.” But if you’re pretending to sleep, will you wake up. You can’t, you won’t. And I’m fooling myself into thinking I’m waking you up.”
He told the audience that in India, “law and order is a subject that each province has its own.”
If in the United States, there is a problem in a particular state, it cannot be a problem that the President of the United States has to deal with with the Governor of that state.
“It is the same in India. There are provinces that are not ruled by the party to which the prime minister belongs. Not even last night, even a day before last night, last night also in the state which is governed… Crimes have happened in the party whose prime minister is, the poorest of the poor have been killed, some have died.
“But that too will be at the Prime Minister’s doorstep as it is in line with my statement. This is not correct because in that state, in that province, the law and order is governed by the elected chief minister of that area, who is not even a party man to the prime minister. Modi,” He said.
Sitharaman said, ‘Tell me how many people criticized Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in such derogatory terms, called him by name, abused him. Have any of them been touched, have they been questioned. Whereas in non-BJP ruled states, when Chief Ministers are questioned, they first have to be arrested and put in jail. I will name the states where this has happened.
“In fact, some of them are still jailed for speaking ill about a particular elected chief minister, who belongs to an opposition party. Will the same scholars who are talking about Prime Minister Modi also comment on those states and say what is happening – India’s tolerant culture,” she said.
He recalled that when Modi came to power in 2014, there had been a series of attacks on churches.
“And there were voices again. People returned their awards, the Padma awards that we give in the country, the highest civilian award, saying ‘this government is against minorities, the way Christians are being treated’. ‘Churches are being attacked, look,'” she said.
He said that in whichever state this happened, it has its own investigation, committees and police of the respective states.
“The prime minister had nothing to do with it. You will be surprised to know that each one of these attacks came to light after proper investigation that they have nothing to do with the Prime Minister, they have nothing to do with the BJP, they have nothing to do with any communal angle. .
“But the blame was put at the door of the Prime Minister. The awards were returned saying, ‘Uff it’s hard for me to live in this country, oh my minorities are being offended’. It turns out that none of them had anything to do with the communal angle, and none of them had anything to do with the BJP or the Prime Minister,” she said.
He said that similarly, after 2019 when Prime Minister Modi came back with an even better, stronger mandate, “this campaign which is saying that there is communal violence, communal whatever.
“Again the question of law and order being a state subject. Each state has its own. Heinous violence has taken place in the states where parties that do not care for the BJP. Is this also for the Prime Minister to answer?
.