AHMEDABAD: According to deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, as long as Hindus are in majority in the country, virtues like rule of law, obedience to the Constitution and secularism will remain. When Hindus cease to be in majority, all these virtues will be finished. He said this on Friday at the dedication of Bharat Mata temple on in Gandhinagar.
Asked to clarify his statement on Saturday, Patel said that Hindus are liberal in their thinking and so democracy is flourishing in the country. “This is my personal opinion. Democracy works where the majority embrace the values of a democracy. In countries where people who believe that only what they say is right, the rule of law, democracy and judiciary are compromised. Afghanistan is the latest example of this,” Patel said on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, however, he had minced no words in saying, “Mark my words. As long as Hindus are in majority in the country, these people will talk of Constitution, rule of law, secularism. God forbid, if after 1,000 or 2,000 years the number of Hindus becomes less and others’ increases, there will not be any courts, any Lok Sabha, any Constitution. Nothing will remain.”
He went on to say, “Let me clarify. I am not talking of everybody. Lakhs of Muslims are patriotic. Lakhs of Christians are patriotic. Thousands of Muslims are in the Indian army. Scores of Muslims are in Gujarat’s police force. They all are patriots.”
On Saturday, Patel said that there are several countries where extremist ideologies are prevalent. “In such countries, women are denied their rights. The rule of law is absent.”
