Ludhiana, August 22
Amid storm over the booing of non-NDA CMs at functions attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today rejected the “hooting culture” saying political parties must maintain decorum.

He rubbished RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement on Hindutva saying “India is a secular state inhabited by people of different religions, castes, faiths and communities”.

The Chief Minister, while interacting with mediapersons at a function in Ludhiana, said the “unhealthy practice of hooting” was not only undemocratic but also ethically and morally deplorable. He called upon representatives of political parties to avoid such unsavoury incideents.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was booed allegedly by BJP activists in the presence of Modi during an official function in Kaithal on August 19. This provoked Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to skip Modi’s function in Nagpur.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) was also jeered in Modi’s presence during a function in Ranchi on August 21. Soren’s party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, later demanded a public apology from the Prime Minister.

The Congress has dubbed booing incidents “orchestrated hooliganism”, while the BJP has advised the Congress to “introspect”.

Reacting to Bhagwat’s statement calling Hindustan a “Hindu nation” and Hindutva “the identity of our nation”, Badal said: “We must respect all religions and should not hurt the sentiments of those professing different religions.”