Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said the incident when Christmas celebrations at a private school in Pataudi were disrupted by Hindu groups was “unfortunate” and that “it should not have happened” and that there was “no reason to support such incidents”.
On the sustained campaign by Hindu groups to prevent namaz in certain public spots in Gurugram, he, however, stuck to his public stand that “making namaz a show of strength is not appropriate” and that community members should sit with the administration and sort the issue out.
Mr. Khattar was interacting with members of the Indian Women’s Press Corp in New Delhi and answering questions on attacks on Christmas celebrations in Haryana. “It is an unfortunate incident. It should not have happened. There is no reason to support such incidents. It is not right to interrupt any function. They [Hindu groups] should either object before or after the function. If there are any apprehensions, they can be resolved. People of all groups should sit and talk, there are peace committees as well,” he stated.
On the namaz issue, he observed: “I cannot say if the incidents in Gurugram were avoidable or not. People from both sides should sit with the administration. Making namaz a show of strength is not appropriate. Even if people have to pray in the open, it should be a designated spot. For people of every group, there is a process to get permission to hold their functions in open. People of both groups should sit together and decide what should be done.”
‘Two different things’
Mr. Khattar also differentiated between “those who initiated farmers protests” against the three controversial farm laws and those who supported it. “Those who initiated the protests and those who supported it are two different things. Those who initiated the protests call themselves ‘kisan neta’, but they have political ambitions. [Gurnam Singh] Chaduni has fought elections, this time also he advocated that farmers fight polls. Political awareness is there in everyone, political aspirations are a different thing,” he remarked. Withdrawing the laws had only added to the “stature” of Prime Minister Modi reflecting his sensitive side, he claimed.
The State government was yet to arrive at a figure of compensation, and that the death figures too needed to be validated. “The government does not have a record. How do we know if a person died in the protest site or in a road accident near the protest site,” he said. There were around 280 cases related to the farmers’ protests in Haryana and the process of withdrawing them was going on. “There are a few cases of rape and murder, which will not be taken back,” he added.
