Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addresses the media.
Facing criticisms over rising instances of intolerance, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today confirmed that "fringe" elements in the BJP, who have made inflammatory remarks especially after a man was lynched over beef rumours in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri, were pulled up by party president Amit Shah on Sunday.
Just yesterday, Mr Shah had played down the issue by not confirming the "dressing down" he gave to BJP leaders like Sakshi Maharaj and Sangeet Som, central minister Sanjeev Balyan and Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar.
"The BJP not only dissociates but also deprecates such elements and incidents. There can't be one opinion but there has to be a methodology in how these differences have to be voiced... We have to be extremely restrained in our language and the level of discourse has to have civility," Mr Jaitley told exclusively to NDTV.
Reacting to the second plea within a fortnight for tolerance from President Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Jaitley said, "The President's appeal must be listened to seriously by all and heeded to. It's the correct advice to be given under these circumstances."
Criticising those behind the ink attack on Jammu and Kashmir lawmaker Engineer Rashid and attack on the BCCI's office by Shiv Sena activists, Mr Jaitley said, "Violence, coercion, vandalism requires to be condemned absolutely."
Sources in the government say that though most of these events seem unrelated, they are constructing a distinct drift away from PM Modi's development agenda, and the government is worried it may spoil the climate for economic resurgence and greater foreign fund flow.
That is why Mr Jaitley said "Globally India is doing well economically. We are taking the right decisions. And these incidents become a complete policy diversion."
In a counter to the attacks from rival political parties, Mr Jaitley said, "In the largest parliamentary democracy recognised in the world these incidents don't bring fair name to the country and therefore we must introspect that this is not the right tactics."
Mr Jaitley also had a message for the media: "Excessive publicity is encouraging copycat vandalism. It's like few years ago shoes were being thrown - now its ink on people. Please don't give more than due share to these kind of elements."