Amid the ongoing controversy over the depiction of Goddess Kali in a film poster, Congress leader and MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Wednesday said the heart and spirit of the country’s culture cannot be trivialised by anybody anywhere, whether in India or abroad.
“I believe that a balance must be maintained in symbols and essence of our faith,” Mr. Singhvi said at a press conference here in Bengaluru.
The Supreme Court’s senior advocate said that “people must be careful when they play with the emotions of people which are reflected in such symbols, culture and faith.” Several political parties and leaders have opposed the poster of the documentary Kali directed by Leena Manimekalai.
‘At the behest of PMO’
Speaking about the open letter by 15 retired judges, 77 former bureaucrats, and 25 former officers of the armed forces against the comments made by Supreme Court Bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala, while hearing a plea filed by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who is facing criminal action following her televised remarks on Prophet Muhammed, Mr. Singhvi alleged that it was done at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Office.
He said the “so-called intellectuals” had attacked the apex court judges posting comments on social media by deploying an army of trolls. “When the judgment is not favourable to you, then you attack the judiciary,” said the lawyer, condemning the “BJP leaders’ attempt to subvert democracy.”
‘Subverting judicial independence’
Expressing concern over the current state of the judiciary, the Congress leader said the party would write to the Chief Justice of India seeking to constitute a committee to look into attempts of the BJP leaders making scathing remarks against judges and thereby “subverting the independence of the judiciary.”
