But the matter is over. The Supreme Court invoked the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which says there will be no change to religious character of a place as it existed since independence.

It’s an Act. It cannot supersede my fundamental right to pray. So, I will move for an amendment or declaring that Act as unconstitutional when the time comes.  Like you made an amendment for the Ram Temple in the Act itself, you make an amendment and include these two temples because these involve fundamental rights. I’ll first try in Parliament.

We are now a Hindu majoritarian state.

No. There are lots of differences of opinion. The rational Muslim knows the BJP has not allowed a single communal riot to take place.

What about the cow lynchings of Muslims?

The BJP is not responsible for that.

These are happening under the BJP government?

Did it not happen before?

These kinds of lynchings of Muslims started after the BJP came to power in 2014.

I’m sorry, I don’t agree with you.

You are not acknowledging the level of hate since the BJP has come to power. Look at the Residential Welfare Association (RWA) Whatsapp groups where hateful messages against Muslims are posted openly.

They have the guts to say it now. They did not have the guts to say it earlier. We would have never come to power if the sentiment is not there.

But it’s a toxic sentiment.

It’s a toxic sentiment that can be cured by a mature presentation of what this nation is. Not by the hocus pocus that Jawaharlal Nehru dished out to us. You see that is where people felt that after all this history, we are still second class citizens. Whether they were or not is another matter. But they saw that whatever we were doing to accommodate Muslims as appeasement. When such things takes root, there is no use in using logic. You cannot block it unless you address the core grievance.

Which is?

The core grievance is that after all this effort to liberate our country back, and partitioning our country, we are still appeasing the Muslim population.

Why do you insist on looking at Indian Muslims are foreigners.

I don’t. I have said that if they agree that their ancestors are Hindus then they are my family. I mentioned to you last time as well that my son-in-law is Muslim, go talk to him and his father, who is from Aligarh. He was our ace diplomat, ambassador, foreign secretary. He will say that I have not shown any bias at all.

They are already citizens of India. Why must Muslims prove their loyalty. No other religious community has to.

As Samuel Huntington of Harvard University has said in the American context: citizenship is different from identity.

Why do you want Muslims to prove their loyalty.

I’m not asking them to prove. I’m just asking them to admit the truth.

Why?

What do you mean why? It brings us closer. I don’t want them to be identified with Ghori and Ghazni. It brings out bad memories.

But that’s history.

So, what? I want to forget that history.

….

Read also: Subramanian Swamy: Collapsing Economy Will Eclipse Ayodhya Gains For BJP Ayodhya Verdict: Hindu Trust Gets Possession Of Babri Site, Muslims Granted Alternative Site The Idea of India: After The Ayodhya Verdict

Courtesy: Huffington Post India.