Mumbai: A distinguished former IPS officer Julio Ribeiro today raised questions on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP can rein in the Hindu right-wing elements and stressed on the need to promote inclusive development.
86-year-old Ribeiro, a former Mumbai Police Commissioner, also said he never felt that he belonged to a different religion now in comments that came against the backdrop of controversial campaigns like ‘Ghar wapsi', attacks on Christian institutions and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat questioning the work of Mother Teresa.
“People are not listening to him,” Ribeiro, a former DGP of Gujarat and Punjab, told PTI when asked whether he expected the Prime Minister to act against Hindu groups indulging in questionable campaigns. He was Punjab Police chief during the insurgency in the state in 1980.
To a query on whether BJP can check such elements, he said, “I don't know if they can rein in such elements.”
“Can they (BJP) do it? I am not sure,” he said, adding, “What we need now is inclusive development for all the people in the country and not just some sections.”
Ribeiro, who stressed that today in his 86th year he felt threatened, not wanted, reduced to a stranger in his own country, said that he never felt that he was belonging to a different religion. He is also a former Ambassador to Romania.
“I never felt this for 85 years plus I am nearly 86 now and I was always accepted by everybody and I accepted everybody. I never felt that I was belonging to a different religion and I am not very religious also,” he said.
Ribeiro said he has been fighting for the country doing work for the nation, doing work for the people, the poorest without bothering about which religion they belonged to and we have been brought like that.
“We never think about what is this man's religion or that man's caste or things like that. We are just Indians,” he said.
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