Urges society to guide, not punish, erring youth
NEW DELHI, AUG 1 (AGENCIES): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he wanted to forgive the young protesters who allegedly hurled abuses at him and his late mother during demonstrations at Jantar Mantar.
Modi posted another video on Instagram, a day after a Noida girl was booked for allegedly using expletives against him. The FIR stated that her remarks “hurt the dignity of the constitutional post” and were intended to disturb public peace.
In the video, Modi said the country and the world had witnessed the incident at Jantar Mantar, where some youngsters allegedly used abusive language against him and his late mother. He, however, said mistakes happen when one is young and that there should be an opportunity to correct them.
“Yet, this is the time to embrace these youngsters and show them the right path. They have lost their way; it is our duty to guide them,” Modi said.
He added that punishing them, taking them through court proceedings or subjecting them to social harassment would not change the situation. “I want to forgive them. I hope society accepts this sentiment,” he said.
Modi said young people should not be abandoned for their mistakes and compared the situation to accidentally biting one’s tongue with teeth. He said people do not break their teeth in such a situation because both are part of the same body. Similarly, he said, these youngsters are part of society and guiding them is everyone’s responsibility.
He urged the protesters to learn from their mistakes and move ahead, saying his aim was to ensure that young people progress and succeed.
The girl later issued a public apology in a purported video clip that surfaced on social media. With folded hands, she said she was 15 years old and deeply ashamed of her remarks. Calling it her “first and last mistake”, she claimed she had come under the influence of others at the protest.
Meanwhile, Cockroach Janta Party criticised the registration of the FIR against the girl. Party founder Abhijeet Dipke questioned whether there were “two sets of law in the country—one for the youth and another for BJP and its leaders”.
He asked when cases would be filed against BJP’s IT cell members who, he alleged, had been abusing women online for years. He also referred to remarks made by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri in Parliament and claimed there was a video of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath allegedly using abusive language against a cameraperson.
Other CJP spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das also criticised the FIR, calling it a “misuse of criminal machinery”.