Chennai, Dec 25 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Thursday issued a strong condemnation of attacks on minorities, asserting that such incidents are unacceptable in a democratic society and warning that unchecked hate poses a serious threat to national harmony.
Emphasising the responsibility of those in power and society at large, he said curbing riotous and divisive groups must be treated as a shared and urgent duty, enforced with firm resolve.
In a statement shared on social media, CM Stalin said the true strength and moral character of the majority community lie in ensuring that minorities are able to live without fear.
“When a few right-wing violent groups, acting in the name of the majority, indulge in attacks and riots, even as the Hon’ble Prime Minister participates in Christmas celebrations, it sends a disturbing message to the nation,” he said.
Referring to recent incidents from different parts of the country, CM Stalin said that after Manipur, reports of attacks on minorities in places such as Jabalpur and Raipur were alarming and unacceptable to anyone who values social harmony and pluralism.
“These developments should concern every citizen who believes in peaceful coexistence,” he said.
The Chief Minister stressed that allowing extremist or riotous groups to operate with impunity would only deepen divisions in society.
“Those who divide people along religious or communal lines must be dealt with firmly, without ambiguity,” he noted, adding that maintaining law and order and protecting constitutional values is not optional but an essential obligation of the State.
He also cited data to underline what he described as a worrying trend.
Claiming a reported 74 per cent rise in hate speech against minorities since the Bharatiya Janata Party assumed office at the Centre, he warned that such an increase signalled “grave danger ahead” if left unaddressed.
Concluding his remarks, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister reiterated that India’s unity rests on mutual respect, equality before the law, and the assurance that every citizen, irrespective of faith or identity, can live with dignity and without fear.
–IANS
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