Eminent group takes on Constitutional Group, slams ‘end to hate politics’ letter sent to PM

New Delhi: As many as 197 eminent persons, hailing from the judiciary, armed forces and bureaucracy, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, slammed the ‘Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG)’, which had sought an “end to hate politics”.

The letter was signed by eight retired judges, 97 retired bureaucrats and 92 retired Armed forces officers on Saturday. “Public opinion remains solidly behind Prime Minister Modi as recent state elections have shown,” stated the letter, claiming that the group calling for the end to “hate politics” has expressed “anger and anguish” while fuelling hate against the present government with their patent prejudices and false portrayals.

The letter further stated that “the studied silence of this CCG on unprecedented post-poll violence in West Bengal, which was so serious that the Kolkata High Court had to mandate the National Human Rights Commission to carry out an independent investigation, which resulted in a report strongly critical of the West Bengal government and the Trinamool Congress, lays bare their cynical and unprincipled approach to issues”.

It also stated that “the same attitude shapes their reactions (or rather the lack of any reaction) to the multiple violent incidents in various states ruled by different political parties (premeditated attacks on peaceful, processions during Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, and other sacred festivals in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and New Delhi), and targeted violation of human rights adversely affecting the livelihoods of the poor irrespective of their religion”.

It again argued that “the double-standard in assessing a situation, deliberate attempts to make an issue out of non-issues, distorted thinking on the challenges faced by the country, resort to bloated vocabulary to grab international attention, motivated tirades against the democratically elected governments, is a malaise of our society that the CCG reflects in its open letters”.

The CCG should not give ideological cover to an anti-national outlook as well as religious and left-wing extremism, which they seem to do, added the letter. These former civil servants should not be orchestrating a false narrative of “colourable use of state power”, argued the letter.

The letter exhorted that the CCG should do some introspection about their own failure to address “these ills they seek to combat now while in office”. Wisdom seems to have dawned only after they have no responsibility or accountability, it said, adding that constructive criticism is an essential feature of democracy provided such criticism is not selective.