JD(U) Leader Says Indian Army Should Recruit 30 Per Cent Muslims To Fight Terrorists From Pakistan

Former JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Rasool Balyawi stirred another controversy on Sunday (12 February) by asking the government to appoint “thirty per cent Muslims in the Indian Army if they have any fear of fighting terrorists from Pakistan”.

Speaking at a function at Nawada, Bihar, Balyawi said, “I said this in the Parliament too. I am saying it again. I am saying this to the PM (Narendra Modi) too. Iron cuts iron, not carrots. If you are scared to deal with terrorists from Pakistan, admit 30 percent of Muslim kids in the army. We remember the ways of our ancestors. We know what we must do for our country”.

The statement was made amid cheers of “Hindustan Zindabad”. Nonetheless, the remarks are being seen as a challenge to the army’s secular credentials and potentially communal, since they try to pit one community against another.

Balyawi also went on to target Baba Ramdev and Bageshwar Dham priest Dheerendra Shastri during his speech.

Balyawi was the former state president of the Lok Janshakti Party and was nominated for the Rajya Sabha by the Janata Dal (United) in 2014. He is known for making inflammatory speeches, like the one he made last month. While demanding legislation to protect Muslim safety on lines of SC/ST Act, he said, “If there is any threat to Muslims, we would turn every city into a Karbala”.

JD(U) national Secretary Aafaq Ahmed told the Indian Express “I do not know the context in which Balyawi said what he did, but he should refrain from making such statements”.

BJP has meanwhile reacted to the statement saying that it is an insult to the Indian army and a desperate attempt to consolidate Muslim votes.

Notably, the Indian Army has never conducted a headcount of soldiers on religious lines and continues to uphold secular credentials. Soldiers are recruited strictly based on merit.

While there is confusion among the general public due to the naming of regiments such as “Sikh Regiment” or “Bihar Regiment”, in reality, the names have no relation with the identity of soldiers.