Click to play videoNaveen Jindal, Congress MP from Kurukshetra in Haryana, and other Haryana politicians have backed the khap panchayats (caste courts) and supported their demand of not marrying in the same gotra (sub-caste). Haryana politicians are now calling khap panchayats' demand for a stop on same sub-caste marriage as an honoured tradition. But activists say they are supporting honour killings that khap panchayats have been accused of promoting.
CNN-IBN grilled Jindal to know his views on khap panchayats.
CNN-IBN: Mr. Jindal, you are being accused of going out of your way to praise the khap panchayats, the very same panchayats that only a few weeks ago justified honour killings and rejected the law of the land?
Naveen Jindal: Let me make myself very, very clear that I do not support any sort of so called honour killings. I am completely against that. I feel no person or organisation has the right to take the law into their own hands and specially go ahead and kill people. The rule of the law must take its course and these people have to face the consequences of taking any such illegal activity.
CNN-IBN: But in your meeting with them, you praised them for their yeoman service to society. How can a group that sanctions 'murder' in the name of family honour be legitimised?
Naveen Jindal: I have never legitimised any kind of murders. Given the history of khap panchayats through centuries, I have said throughout the centuries the khap panchayats have done a yeoman service to the society. This is a fact. It is not that every action of khap panchayat is good, but they have played an important role also, and they are part of my constituents and I represent them. So when they want to meet me, want me to hear them out I must hear them out. It is my duty to hear them out.
CNN-IBN: But Mr Jindal, as an Mp shouldn’t you be going to the khap panchayat and preparing them for the 21st century, rather than allowing them to stick to a medieval tradition?
Naveen Jindal: I completely agree and I also believe in that. That is why dialogue is important. So I went ahead and spoke to them and heard their viewpoint and is also said you need to take up issues like female foeticide, you need to take up issues like dowry deaths and also never take the law into your own hands, and all these kinds of violent acts. So I said all this in the meeting today in front of thousands of people. I mentioned all this.
CNN-IBN: But Mr Jindal, do you believe that marriage in the same gotra is against Indian tradition and culture?
Naveen Jindal: Look what I believe individually is not important. Yes it is a tradition in lots of part of north India that people do not, they avoid marrying into the same gotra. That is a fact of life.
CNN-IBN: Do you believe as an MP from Haryana that this is a tradition that should be preserved, especially when it leads to killing in the name of caste or gotra?
Naveen Jindal: I believe it is a matter of individual beliefs. I am no one to impose my beliefs on you or anyone else. But this is the tradition in most of the north India that people do not marry in the same gotra. That's a fact of life. Let me ask you what are your views on this?
CNN-IBN: Sir, I am not in public life, you are. You have to take a public position.. But my question to you is every party in Haryana seems to be supporting khap panchayats. A Congress MP from Haryana on Friday asked for a ban on same gotra marriages, Chautala (INLD chief OM Prakash Chautala) met the Prime Minister on Monday and asked for a ban. Is this an issue that every politician in haryana cannot avoid?
Naveen Jindal: No this is not. I am just going to take the message of my constituents as it is to my seniors in my party and then for anything for the law to change has to be discussed, ahs to be debated in the legislature whether that is the state legislative assembly or the parliament. it must be discussed, it must be debated, then something would come out of it.
CNN-IBN: Final question. Is this a case where Naveen Jindal the individual is in conflict with Naveen Jindal the politician? The politician in you has to support the khap panchayat?
Naveen Jindal: It is an interesting question. We have to be very, very open minded. We have to even if our personal views do not agree with the views of other people one has to have the patience to listen to other people. See why they are talking like this. What is the reason behind what they are saying or what they are doing and then with an open mind and also with an exchange for views take place. So if you listen to them they will also listen to you. So when today I spoke about female foeticide, I spoke about dowry deaths, they are very open to this. They said yes we will take up these issues also. Some one will have to be ready to have a dialogue. When we are ready to talk to extremists, when we are ready to talk to the terrorist organisation we must be ready to talk to khap panchayat for sure and they have done a lot of and so we must speak to them try to convince them.
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