Opposition raises 'intolerance' issue in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Opposition parties on Thursday raised in Lok Sabha the issue of 'intolerance', saying the untoward incidents witnessed in the recent past should be condemned as they send out "negative messages" and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the matter. Participating in a debate on the 'Commitment to the Constitution', Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said every incident of intolerance should be condemned and that it should be looked at as to why dignified artistes, including Aamir Khan, are feeling uneasy in their own country.

Few incidents of intolerance are sending "negative messages" and the Prime Minister should rise to the occasion in addressing the issue, he said. "We should look at why artistes like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, A R Rahman... are feeling uneasy in our own country? Why are they saying so," he said during the debate being held as part of 125th birth anniversary celebrations of B R Ambedkar.

Wondering why these people are facing such a situation, Bandopadhyay said the issue should be taken up on priority. His remarks come against the backdrop of various artistes -- including cine star Aamir Khan -- finding themselves in the eye of a storm over their remarks on intolerance. "Why sometimes we find incidents of intolerance happening?.... Intolerance from every corner should be condemned," the TMC member said.

The Prime Minister has spoken against such incidents but he did not do it in the country but abroad, he said, adding when the Prime Minister rises to the occasion, it would give a positive signal to the country. Modi was in the House. Underlining that India is a tolerant country, Bandyopadhyay said when incidents of intolerance happen, then the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the government.

"We (the House) should firmly, in a united voice, protest against such incidents... We should not hesitate to raise our voice," the TMC leader said. BJD's Tathagata Satpathy said incidents of intolerance should not be tolerated. "Let's be totally intolerant towards intolerance (incidents)," he said, adding that just by speaking about the issues would not help address the problems. "The onus lies on us (the House) to prove that we mean what we speak," he noted.