Author: Editorial
Publication: News Today
Date: August 15, 2008
URL: http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=9971%20&%20section=13
Addressing the nation on the occasion of the
61st Independence Day Parade from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said that divisive politics would lead the country nowhere
and appealed to the political parties to keep the long-term interests of Jammu
and Kashmir in view.
He sounded deeply concerned about the unrest
in Jammu and Kashmir and sent out a warning that dividing people in the name
of religion could pose a threat to the unity of the country and asked all
political parties to come together to resolve issues related to Amarnath land
row through dialogue.
There cannot be a second opinion to what the
Prime Minister has 'generally' said, but with regards to the specific Amarnath
issue, Manmohan Singh needs to introspect and realise how his government and
the State government led by his party have created this problem.
Having sowed the seeds for trouble, his party
must attempt to solve it amicably and only in the event of a failure, it must
request the other parties for help. Instead, the Prime Minister's call to
other parties to come together for solving the issue sounds hollow and smacks
of an attempt at being smart.
This is not the first time the Manmohan government
finds itself at the receiving end after creating a problem on its own. The
last four years of 'governance' shows that the government has been reaping
what it has sown.
The nation has seen the 'Muslim head count'
in the Armed Forces, repeal of a vital laws like the'POTA' and its painful
consequences, alarming increase in enculturation methods and evangelisation,
extension of reservation policies in education and employment through casteist
quotas, budgetary allotments exclusively for minorities, subsidised pilgrimages
only for the minorities, separate reservations for minorities based on religion.
The latest in the line of Manmohan Singh government's
divisive politics is the refusal of a paltry 100 acres of land in Kashmir
for the help of the Hindu pilgrims, who propose to use that land for only
forty five to sixty days in a year by constructing temporary tenements.
Heading such a government, it is rather perplexing
to see the Prime Minister talk about the perilous consequences of divisive
politics. It would have added more sense if he had appealed to the Kashmiri
Muslims to stop ranting on 'Azadi', and such an appeal along with a clear
statement that the valley is not separate and belongs to India, on the Independence
Day would have sent a strong message to them.
For her part, President Pratibha Patil in
her Independence Day message has appealed to the people to shun violence and
stand united against the threats emanating from terrorism.
It is very sad and unfortunate that even after
60 years of independence, the State Heads had to talk about terrorism, violence,
disunity, divisiveness and appeal for unity, non-violence, and peace.
While making such speeches, the State heads
must understand that they too, along with the other politicians, have played
a role in bringing the country to the present perill.
On the other hand, the people also must realise
that they have played into the hands of these reckless politicians, who have
divided them on religious and caste lines for their own interests. People
have exhibited a sense of unity only at the time of crises or calamities and
on other normal occasions they have stood divided.
Such an attitude must be given up and the
people must stay united for the progress of the nation and prevalence of peace
and harmony. If the political class is made to relaise the fact that the people
are united, then they will automatically fall in line.
The progress of a nation is in the well being
of democracy and the success of democracy is in the hands of the people and
the people must feel that they are not only independent but also the authority
in a democracy.
Let the 61st year of this young democratic
nation bring peace and prosperity to the people.
