A group of 32 former Indian diplomats on Wednesday in an open letter said that “condemnation of hate speech must be universal, and not selective”. The letter is referring to a three-day ‘Dharam Sansad’ held in Haridwar which saw a series of hate speeches targeting Muslims and calling for violence and assassination.

In an open letter, they said, “All calls for violence must be unequivocally condemned regardless of their religious, ethnic, ideological or regional origin. Double standards and selectivity in condemnation raises questions about motives and morality.”

“The latest example of this is the manner in which these miscellaneous elements have latched on to some objectionable anti-minority statements made at a religious gathering at Haridwar in mid-December. These should be condemned by all right thinking people no doubt, but when the import of these is exaggerated out of all proportion and the rantings by fringe elements are seen as representative of the sentiments prevailing in ruling circles, and as laying the agenda of what lies ahead at the national level, then the political leanings and moral integrity of the critics can be rightly questioned,” the letter said as quoted by The Indian Express.

The signatories in the letter include former high commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri, former deputy executive director at UN Women Lakshmi Puri, former ambassador to the Netherlands Bhaswati Mukherjee and former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal.

“PM Modi’s message of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas, is mocked by alleging that this is meant just for one community (the majority community), and not for all. This is line with attacks on ‘majoritarianism’, which is a way to question the mandate that the democratic process gives to the political party that wins elections legitimately and considers itself obliged to the electorate to implement its declared agenda lawfully,” the letter reads.

They said that in July last year, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said in a public statement at a book launch that “if anyone says Muslims should not stay in India, then he is not a Hindu… Anyone who is involved in lynching is not a Hindu”.

“Such messaging has a powerful, widespread impact, not just on the immediate audience, and far beyond just the Hindu community,” they wrote.

Stating that one wrong deed does not justify another, the former diplomats said that if there is genuine concern about the deleterious impact of such pronouncements on society it is important and logical to condemn all of them with equal strength and determination.

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