Dissent is allowed, not destabilising India: Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Saturday that dissent is allowed, but not destabilising India. 

"I want to clarify that there will never be any effort to compress the pressure cooker. All have the right to speak, do whatever they want in democracy but no one will be allowed to destabilise the country or create violence," PTI quoted Singh as saying. 

"Any effort to destabilise any government, taking refuge in one's ideology for promoting violence, conspiring to destabilise and break the country, I feel there cannot be a bigger crime than this," PTI quoted Singh as saying. 

Singh made his comments in Lucknow at the Hindustan Shikhar Samagam. 

Singh was replying to a question on the Supreme Court's recent comment that "dissent is the safety valve of democracy. If you don't allow the safety valve, the pressure cooker will burst" after the recent arrests of the five activists. 

The government has since been slammed for the arrests with several commentators saying the government is stepping down on any and all dissent. 

Singh added that the BJP government is committed to upholding "democratic values". 

"Our government is committed to upholding democratic values. See the record of those arrested. In 2012 too many of them were arrested and at that time also similar allegations were raised," Singh added. 

Commentators however have pointed out that the activists arrested were also acquitted of all charges. 

Singh also mentioned Kashmir saying it was a chronic problem which will take time to be resolved. 

But it will be realised, he said. 

(With inputs from PTI)