At a time where the entire country is debating the concept of a 'Hindu Rashtra', BJP MP and former Minister Subramanian Swamy said that India is already a Hindu Rashtra and that the Indian Constitution preaches Hinduism. Swamy was a speaker at the 8th edition of TNIE's ThinkEdu Conclave which was held in Chennai.
"We're already a Hindu Rashtra. Right from the beginning, our Constitution mentioned faith, unlike any other constitution in the world. It bans cow slaughter. A Uniform Civil Code is also something that a Hindu Rashtra relies on," says Swamy. "This doesn't mean that only Hindus can be Prime Ministers. Hindus in this country have never said that. Furthermore, we say that all religions lead to God. Which other religion says that apart from Hinduism?" he asks, adding that the 'secularism bit' in the Constitution was added by Indira Gandhi.
Expanding on this, Swamy also said that Article 14 of the Indian Constitution talks about equality among the equals. "For instance, I cannot say that I'm a Brahmin and since there's equality before the law, I must also get reservation. You cannot seek equality among unequals," he said, taking a dig at the anti-CAA protestors who stress upon the article.
Unapologetic and bold, Swamy told the crowd that he supports the CAA and the abrogation of Article 370. "Recently, the abrogation of Article 370, the Special Protection Group for Sonia Gandhi and the CAA were three issues on which I was asked to speak at the Parliament. Do you know that the first resolution of the Congress party was to provide citizenship to those Hindus and Sikhs facing religious persecution? Gandhi and Manmohan Singh endorsed this. This Bill has nothing to do with the Muslims of India. Pakistani Muslims aren't coming to India saying that they're persecuted," he pointed out.
But why is it limited to the minorities in three countries? He explained, "These counties are part of the partition problem. Afghanistan came into the picture because Sikhs were persecuted thereafter the Taliban regime was established. We never had any Muslims come from Pakistan saying that they were persecuted." He also accused the terrorist organisations and Christian missionaries of funding the anti-CAA and NRC protests. "This is an anti-national protest. The CAA is a commitment that we have to fulfill," he said. Even though Swamy agrees on the idea of the NRC, he said that he wants to see the Bill.
Swamy had recently said that India can offer citizenship to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. He explained the reason behind his comment. "We can offer citizenship to Musharraf because of all the information that he has," Swamy laughed and added, "He's a good friend too. I was once asked to inaugurate his office in Rawalpindi because his mother wanted a Brahmin to inaugurate it. He's truly integrated with our culture." He also said that it is unfortunate that the Pakistan Court is seeking Musharraf's hanging.
A seasoned economist, Swamy suggested solutions for the current economic crisis, "Income tax must be abolished. We must also increase the Fixed Deposit interest rates." Answering a question on why he must be made the country's Finance Minister, he said, "Because Modi doesn't understand Economics. Nirmala Sitaraman is giving tax waivers to corporates, but this is not where the problem lies. The problem is where the purchasing power has to be spent." He also said that the young people of India are afraid to take risks and this mentality must be changed.
Swamy stated that his politics become personal if one messes with him. But that being said, he graciously called Sachin Pilot, who was also a part of the two-day conclave, a "Right man in a wrong party." He also said that he would have joined the Congress party if not for Sonia Gandhi. "I know their history, that is the problem. She is the daughter of a soldier in Hitler's army. Her mother hasn't disclosed where she worked from 1963 to 1968. Her corruption is unbelievable," he said. He also narrated anecdotes of his time in politics with late politicians Ashok Singhal, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and J Jayalalithaa.
