Author:
Publication: www.vigilonline.com
Date: June 14, 2004
URL: http://www.vigilonline.com/reference/columns/columnsList.asp?columnist_id=1
Thoughts on issues of current interest
[my comments - as an Indian citizen - within square brackets], including
instances of some double standards of our public figures, especially in
the construction of Indian identity (all those Macaulayan myths, and the
hypocrisy that is Nehruvian secularism) - Krishen Kak
[V'mala 61 and 62 took off from
the mission of Mr Rahul Gandhi (our new Member of Parliament) to uphold
Truth in Indian politics, and proposed "funny-verita" for his interpretation
of Truth - "verita" being "truth" in his mother tongue, and "funny" because
his interpretation turns out - mother of all surprises! - no different
from the interpretations he so derides! Those two V'mala focused
on his Congress Party and its members; V'mala 63 suggested our country's
President is no different either, and V'mala 64 to 67 show that the new
government subscribes to the same understanding of truth.
So, let's continue with those extracts
(marked with an @ below) from our Rashtrapati's address on June 7, 2004
(V'mala 63) and see just how funny-verita they are.....]
@ 24. It is a matter of serious
concern that the forces of communalism have been able to vitiate the atmosphere
in the country leading to out-break of riots, the most gruesome face of
which was witnessed recently in Gujarat. My government is determined to
combat such forces. The Government will adopt all possible measures to
promote and maintain communal peace and harmony so that minorities feel
completely secure. My government will enact a model law to deal with communal
violence and encourage states to adopt it. The Government will examine
the question of providing constitutional status to the Minorities Commission
and will strive for recognition and promotion of Urdu language under Articles
345 and 347 of the Constitution.
[This is an explicit statement for
minorityism. Gujarat was "gruesome", Kashmir is not. "Hindus" kill
in Gujarat, "terrorists" kill in Kashmir. Even though the terrorists call
themselves "mujahid" - jihadis; Muslims killing to create a dar-ul Islam.
The Congress prime minister visits
a gurudwara to assure his community that the (Congress-encouraged) 1984
Sikh pogrom will not be repeated (The Hindu, Jun 13, 2004), but even now
there are no assurances of any kind whatsoever to the victims of free India's
ongoing and greatest (by international definition - V'mala 36) genocide,
that of the Kashmiri Pandits.
"Combat such forces". An oust-Modi
signal? Certainly. But in Kashmir the same Congress aligns
with ruling parties determined and successfully acting to eliminate its
indigenous Hindus. KPs or anyone else are welcome as tourists (though
not under Koranic Islam - mujahids killed some in Pahalgam because "they
are spreading obscenity in the Kashmiri society", The Pioneer, Jun 13,
2004), but as equal citizens, no.
"No one has yet said a word for
the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits or tackling the problems of
Bangladeshi infiltration. Hardly anybody is bothered any more with the
alarming rate of change in the demography of districts in Assam and West
Bengal bordering Bangladesh .From the security perspective, the north-east
has emerged as a major challenge. Once again, the related aspect is religious
conversion and infiltration. Security analysts have often seen religious
conversion in the north- east as a conspiracy to sow the seeds of alienation
among the people" (Navin Upadhyay, "Full throttle backwards", The Pioneer,
Jun 6, 2004).
"Model law" - a signal for a pro-conversion
law (in consonance with the secular Pope of Rome's oft-expressed desire
to evangelize India - "RSS raps Pope's remarks on anti-conversion laws",
The Pioneer, Jun 7, 2004, online edition) even though the Supreme Court
has ruled there is no fundamental right to conversion? Or a uniform
civil code, on the absence of which "the Supreme Court has on no less than
six occasions expressed its dismay" (Navin Upadhyay, op.cit.) Which
of these will be in the greater interest of the so-called minorities themselves
towards a modern, democratic society?
Urdu is officially identified with
Muslims? So that makes Sanskrit a Hindu language, doesn't it?
But we never consider Arabic an Islamic language, or English a Christian
one? Why the double standard?]
@ 25. On Ayodhya issue, my government
will await the verdict of the courts while encouraging negotiations between
parties to the dispute for an amicable settlement, which, in turn, must
receive legal sanction. The Government is also committed to implementing
the Protection of Places of Worship Act, 1992.
[What about the 100 and more Kashmir
temples vandalised, desecrated or destroyed by Islam in free India ( http://www.kashmir-information.com/Atrocities/Temples/
)? Or does the Protection of Places of Worship Act not apply to our
temples in Kashmir? And, under Nehruvian secularism, need not.
But you can be sure it will
apply to the 10-crore "Sonia Mandir" being built near Nagpur by Sandip
Agrawal, vice-president of the Maharashtra Congress Farmers and Farm Labour
Cell ( http://headlines.sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13484600&headline=Fans~p
lan~Rs~10-crore~temple~for~Sonia )]
@ 26. Steps will be taken to establish
a Commission to look into issues relating to direct affiliation of minority
professional institutions with central universities. Measures will also
be taken to spread modern and technical education among minority communities.
A National Commission will be established to make recommendations on how
best to enhance the welfare of socially and economically backward sections
among religious and linguistic minorities, including through reservation
in education and employment.
[Which really is the minority (V'mala
43)? As, in an increasing number of States in free India, Hindus
become the minority population, why are we not notified "minorities", at
least in these States? Why are KPs not notified a minority, though
Congress State Governments notify Jains a minority (V'mala 17)? Why
are those to whom their faith comes before their country notified a minority,
even when their faith requires an extra-territorial loyalty (V'mala 53
for Islam, and 9 in http://www.vigilonline.com/reference/relart/krishen_kak_conversion.asp
for Christianity)?
Why is "Hindu" a bad word?
Check out Tavleen Singh's, "This inner voice too needs hearing", The Sunday
Express, Jun 13, 2004, http://indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=48854
]
@ 40. The Government will respect
the letter and spirit of Article 370 of the Constitution that accords a
special status to Jammu & Kashmir. Dialogue with all groups and with
different shades of opinion in Jammu & Kashmir will be pursued on a
sustained basis, in consultation with the democratically-elected state
government......
[But the "letter and spirit of Article
370 of the Constitution" are for it as a temporary measure. Why does
our Rashtrapati and "his" government not want to respect that? Did
not Prime Minister Nehru in the early 60s tell the Lok Sabha about Art
370 that "woh ghiste, ghiste ghis jayega"?
Well?]
