Diverse groups of former and retired Indian Public Servants are at odds over attacks on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s handling of recent ‘hate violence’ against the country’s minority communities, particularly Muslims.
The row began when a group of former bureaucrats, under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group, wrote an open letter to Mr Modi saying the “frenzy of hate-filled destruction” that the country was witnessing was not just targeting minorities, but the Constitution itself.
They criticised Mr Modi’s silence on these incidents as “deafening”, and hoped that he would “call for an end to the politics of hate that Governments under your party’s control are so assiduously practising”.
A former National Security Adviser, a former Foreign Secretary and Principal Secretary to Mr Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh were among the 108 signatories to the letter.
However, another group of former judges and retired Public Servants wrote a counter letter defending the Government.
Calling itself Concerned Citizens, the group said those who signed the open letter did not have sincere motivations.
“This is their way let out their frustration against the public opinion which remains solidly behind Modi,” the Concerned Citizens said, citing recent State election wins by Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party,” Concerned Citizens said.
“The group, comprising eight former judges, 97 former bureaucrats and 92 retired officers of the armed forces, accused their peers of issuing “agenda-driven politicised statements”.
New Delhi, 2 May 2022
