Holding that vote bank politics was a major factor for communal frenzy, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said one group or organisation should not be made a scapegoat and held responsible for such instances.
He also expressed his concern over the spread of cyber terrorism and crimes through social media platforms and advocated for an effective law to check the menace.
“Our view is that justice is for everybody, opportunities are for everyone and refusal to no one. Our vision is clear. We believe that the immediate frenzy of communalism has a root in vote bank politics.
“The solution to this problem cannot be found by blaming a particular organisation or group and making it a scapegoat for the failure of others,” Mr. Chouhan said in his speech at the meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister said officials present on ground should be given a “free hand” to work and should be kept insulated from any political interference.
Making an apparent reference to former state Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, Mr. Chouhan said contrary to the statements, there has been no major incident of riots in the last decade in BJP-ruled states.
“If you see the facts of these glib talkings you will see that these states (BJP ruled) do not nurture religion as vote bank. These states have been free of communal riots in the last decade because they do not indulge in politics of separation and neither the administration has been compelled to take sides of any particular religious community,” he said.
Mr. Chouhan said as the exchange of information on Internet, Facebook, e-chat, Line, WhatsApp and other modes is very prompt and no one has a control over it, “this has been abused by criminal elements”.
“Inciting videos and bulk messages are spread with a lightning speed and there is no limitation of any boundary of a state or a country (in their spread). How to control this in this cyberspace age is a challenge?” he said.
The two-time Chief Minister said the priority should be to establish a time-effective filter mechanism to curb the spread of such mischievous messages and videos rather than looking to remove the objectionable content.
Mr. Chouhan urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene to get a quick approval for the anti-organised crime bill which has been approved by the state Assembly.
