Samajwadi Party stalwart ST Hasan pushed back against narratives of insecurity for religious minorities in India, asserting that Hindus and Muslims are largely protected despite global unrest. In an IANS interview from Lucknow, he linked ongoing missile assaults on Muslim countries to a mere 5 percent domestic threat, lauding the broader Indian populace for their amity.
Hasan vividly illustrated differences: Arab lands uphold religious freedoms, building temples and avoiding mosque demolitions—luxuries not always mirrored here. ‘External conflicts don’t undermine our internal peace,’ he argued.
Looking back 14 years, he painted a picture of seamless coexistence shattered by the present administration’s policies of bias and religious insensitivity, unparalleled even in Muslim states.
He downplayed Gulf missile incidents, specifying American installations and US-linked refineries as targets, with civilian life—markets included—remaining robust and unaffected.
Firing back at Sangeet Som’s attack on Akhilesh Yadav as a ‘Mughal remnant,’ Hasan mocked Som’s irrelevance in BJP. ‘Akhilesh unites as a true Hindu. BJP’s religion-based divisions ignore Mughal contributions to India.’
Criticizing Giriraj Singh’s Bengal statements, he exposed them as fear-mongering: ‘Citizenship is Delhi’s domain, not state affairs.’
Applauding bans on kids’ social media in Karnataka and Andhra, Hasan tied it to preventing obscenity-driven deviance. ‘Commendable, now ensure ground-level success,’ he advised in closing.