Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore called upon the citizens to counter misinformation campaigns that spread hatred in the country.
He was speaking at the Manorama News Conclave 2018 in Kochi.
Rathore spoke of the need for introspection in the face of multiple incidents of mob lynching allegedly caused by rumours on WhatsApp. "These are the times when fake messages on WhatsApp have killed people. What is the answer to this? You just need to look in the mirror. We need to take care of our nation. It needs to be taken care of by ourselves and cannot be outsourced,” Rathore said.
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Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Alphons Kanamthanam were also present at the second edition of the Manorama News Conclave. Other prominent speakers were actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Rejecting allegations that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was 'hijacking' institutions, Rathore retorted that hijacking the judiciary and other systems was the speciality of the Congress.
"Those who accuse the BJP of compromising the judiciary (in the last four years) have selective amnesia," he said at the Manorama News Conclave. Referring to past incidents of government surveillance, Rathore cited the 1986 Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, which would have given the government ability to read a person's mail. It was, however, blocked by the then president Giani Zail Singh.
Responding to a question at the Manorama News Conclave, on Union Minister Jayant Sinha garlanding eight people who had been convicted by fast-track court in Jharkhand of lynching a Muslim cattle trader, Rathore reiterated that the Modi government was against all forms of violence, but added that every accused had the right to prove his innocence.
"Let me assure everyone that violence in any form is reprehensible and unacceptable. Were those people who were garlanded convicted? Every citizen has the right to prove their innocence," Rathore said.
A fast-track court had convicted 11 people in March for lynching a Muslim cattle trader in Ramgarh in 2017. However, last week, the Jharkhand High Court suspended the life sentences of eight of the men, one of whom was a local BJP activist. The group went to Sinha's residence on their release.
Pictures of the minister felicitating them had triggered outrage, following which Sinha had expressed regret for his actions.