NEW DELHI: The Resident Welfare Association of an upscale locality in the city has asked the family of veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar to move out to another residential colony over remarks made by his daughter on the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple which the association found a case of “hate speech.”
The Jangpura Extension’s RWA wrote to him and his daughter Suranya Aiyar demanding an apology for Suranya’s recent stand on the ceremony where she announced observation of a three-way fast to show solidarity with the Muslims. The RWA called out her reaction as an act of “creating tension and hatred” in a peace-loving locality. It asked the duo to move out if they still believed their actions were correct.
“What Ms Aiyar, said through social media was certainly unbecoming of an educated person, who should have understood that the Ram Mandir was being built after 500 years and that too after 5-0 Supreme court verdict. A hate speech and act by a resident like you, in a peace-loving locality where most residents inhabiting here came from Pakistan after losing all their wealth and fortune, is highly unfortunate,” the RWA’s letter read.
RWA President Dr Kapil Kakar said that the matter was not taken suo moto by the association but after many residents approached him and demanded a strong reaction to Suranya’s ‘needless’ protest against Ram Temple.When asked why the RWA is overreaching its powers, Kakar said that Suranya’s action has hurt the sentiment of the community and the letter was only meant to dissuade simmering tension within the residents.
“Many residents approached us with the complaint and after watching the video we found that sentiments of the people should be communicated. We only pre-empted the disquiet. The community is hurt from their words and action. Freedom of speech is not absolute and if it’s harming the peace and tranquillity of the community then a tough decision is required. So we asked them to move to another place if they are not regretful of their action,” he said.
Reacting to the letter, Suranya shared her video response on Facebook: “I expressed the reasons for my disagreement in my speech earlier. And I made a spiritual presentation of my own pain by fasting peacefully at my home. I think that all of us deserve a better kind of conversation. Whether you agree with what I say or not, I think that people who know me and educated people who are watching what is going on will feel that this is not how we should be conducting ourselves.”
“I hope that this gives everybody an opportunity to think about where we are going and whether we want to become like this,” she added.
‘Action hurt sentiments’
RWA President Dr Kapil Kakar said that the matter was not taken suo moto by the association but residents demanded a strong reaction to Suranya’s ‘needless’ protest against Ram Temple. Kakar said that Suranya’s action has hurt the sentiment of the community and the letter was only meant to dissuade simmering tension within the residents.