After UK MP’s Bulldozer Concerns, Rijiju Blames ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ for India’s Negative Image

Union minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter on Sunday to highlight that human rights concerns voiced by two British MPs over demolition drives in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri and Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone, were misplaced. He said the two young leaders should not to be blamed as they were unaware of the reality in India.

Going a step ahead, Rijiju blamed the “Tukde tukde gang” for portraying a negative image of India and its citizens. The minister retweeted a video of UK MP Nadia Whittome, who questioned Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to a JCB factory in Gujarat and posing for the cameras on an excavator.

Rijiju tweeted: “I don’t blame the young British MP who is unaware of reality & portrays negative image of Indian. It’s the result of the negative campaigns launched by the Tukde-Tukde gang who’s only aim is to discredit the huge achievements of @narendramodi Govt. India believes in Rule of Law.”

Whittome and MP Zarah Sultana raised questions on Johnson’s viral pictures that show him leaning out of an excavator at a JCB factory in Gujarat during his visit to India. This happened a day after the civic body of South Delhi used bulldozers to raze several structures in Jahangirpuri, soon after an incident of communal violence in the area during Hanuman Jayanti. Many had criticised the civic action as targeting Muslim homes and properties as punishment to the accused.

Similar anti-encroachment drives were also carried out in MP and Uttarakhand following communal violence during Ram Navami last month.

Whittome and Sultana had asked if Johnson had raised the issue of “human rights violations in India” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also questioned if the UK PM’s visit helped “legitimise the actions of Modi’s far-right government”.

Whittome had tweeted: “The BJP (Modi’s governing party) is using JCB diggers to bulldoze the homes and shops of Muslims. Boris Johnson posed with JCB diggers on his recent visit to India, but his minister wouldn’t say whether he even raised these demolitions with Modi.”

Johnson was on a two-day visit to India for bilateral talks with PM Modi. But, his pictures on a JCB excavator grabbed headlines following which he was asked about human rights issues. “Our relations with India, and how to deal with questions like human rights or democratic values… of course, we have these conversations. But, the advantage of our friendship is we can have these conversations in a friendly and private way,” Johnson had said.

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