Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria had allegedly made a controversial speech at a condolence meeting in Agra on Sunday for a VHP leader.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended his colleague, junior education minister Ram Shanker Katheria, in the Rajya Sabha today, virtually absolving him of the charge of making an allegedly inflammatory speech.
Mr Singh said he had watched a recording of the speech and there was nothing in that could be called inflammatory. "Three people have been charged in an FIR, if Katheria had given the inflammatory speech, then his name would have been first on the list," the Home Minister said virtually putting to rest any chances of action demanded by the opposition against Mr Katheria, who is the junior education minister.
The Home Minister then spoke at length on India's secular tradition. "India is full of diversities, and it is with pride that I say that India is the most secular country in the world," Mr Singh said.
Congress lawmakers had earlier protested outside Parliament against Mr Katheria over his alleged hate speech in Agra.
The Rajya Sabha began discussing the matter after lunch hour when the chair accepted a calling attention motion on it. The Congress has also moved a calling-attention motion in Lok Sabha, seeking a statement from the minister.
Mr Katheria speaking at a condolence meeting for VHP leader Arun Mahaur, who was killed last week, has provoked anger with his remarks.
"This conspiracy that is being hatched against the Hindu community, we have to be alert to recognise it and strengthen ourselves. We will have to fight it because if we do not do it now, today we have lost one Arun, tomorrow it could be another Arun...the killers should also go, we have to set such an example," he had said.
"Ministers who made such statements should be sacked or should have resigned in shame," BSP chief Mayawati said speaking before the Home Minister. "They should continue a rigorous police investigation, especially against Katheria and the kind of language used by him to incite violence should be investigated and his resignation taken or he be arrested," she said in the upper house.