Amit Shah, Digvijaya Singh engage in war of words on Sudhanshu Trivedi’s remarks
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress MP Digvijaya Singh engaged in a heated exchange during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The confrontation was sparked by BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi’s controversial remarks on the Muslim community. Trivedi claimed that “good Muslims” align with the BJP while “bad Muslims” are associated with the Congress, leading Singh to object strongly and accuse Amit Shah of bearing responsibility for the Gujarat riots.
Amit Shah firmly refuted the allegations, clarifying that he was not the Home Minister at the time of the riots, taking office eighteen months after they had ended.
The BJP member Trivedi, during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, lamented the shift in the Muslim community’s representation over the years. He
contrasted the icons of India’s independence era – luminaries like Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Sahir Ludhianvi, and Jigar Moradabadi – with figures such as Ishrat Jahan, Yakub Memon, Mukhtar Ansari, Atiq Ahmed, and Dawood Ibrahim.
He questioned the association of the Muslim community with individuals linked to controversies, attributing this shift to the politics that emerged after India adopted secularism in 1976.
His remarks sparked strong objections from opposition members.
Dr. Fauzia Khan of the NCP-SCP urged the Chairman to expunge Trivedi’s statement, arguing that associating the “Muslim community with terrorists” was an unfounded and offensive generalisation.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh echoed her sentiments, condemning Trivedi’s comments as stigmatising an entire community and criticising the Chairman for allowing such remarks to stand.
Home Minister Amit Shah defended Trivedi, asserting that his statements were factual, adding that the NCP had honoured Ishrat Jahan’s family, labelling her a martyr.
He further noted that figures like Atiq Ahmed and another Ansari were affiliated with the Congress.
Amid the heated exchanges, DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva invoked a Rule of parliamentary proceedings, which mandates the Chair to address defamatory remarks made against a member or a community.
The Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reserved his decision, promising to address the matter the following day.