Author: Editorial
Publication: News Today
Date: October 14, 2008
URL: http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=11406%20&%20section=13
A 'formality' called 'National Integration
Council' meeting was conducted for the fourteenth time overall and second
time by the UPA government, yesterday in the capital.
The meeting is normally attended by Union
Ministers, Chief Ministers, party presidents and some nominated 'eminent'
members from the public.
The Congress led UPA government took charge
at the centre in May 2004 and it convened the 13th NIC Meet on 31 August,
2005 after a long gap of over a decade.
In principle, a government need not follow
formalities and conduct exhibitions to showcase its 'objectives and achievements'
on national integration.
It would be suffice if it works and produce
results, which can be easily observed by the people.
Any meeting convened to discuss the concept
of 'national integration' must deliberately debate those 'forces', which are
inimical to that concept.
In this regard, it is common knowledge that
Jihadi terrorism, evangelisation, linguistic chauvinism, Aryan-Dravidian racism,
casteism and separatism of SC and STs from the mainstream are posing danger
to the unity and integrity.
Hence it is imperative that such forces and
their anti-national activities have to be discussed in a meeting, which has
been convened in the name of 'National Integration Council'.
If a government, despite repeated occurrence
of terror attacks & conversion activities under its regime, prefers to
keep Jihadi terrorism & evangelisation out of its agenda and decides to
discuss the attack on
minorities in the name of 'comunalism', then
the meet becomes not only a futile exercise, but ends up as an attempt at
rank minority appeasement.
This is what has precisely happened at yesterday's
NIC meet and the government half-heartedly included 'extremism' in the agenda
only after getting thrashed by the NDA Chief Ministers for not including 'terrorism'
in it.
The Prime Minister, who waxed eloquent on
'communalism', talked only about the alleged attacks on churches in Orissa
& Karnataka but failed to mention even a word about the attacks during
the Ganesh Chathurthi,
Durga Pooja and Navrathri pooja celebrations
throughout the country. Even while calling for 'stringent measures' against
those who threaten communal harmony, he has never given an impression of tough
attitude and strong leadership.
He has said that anti-terror measures should
not profile or target a particular community, obviously referring to the Muslims.
This statement, in fact, is an insult to Muslim
community and the Prime Minister has naturally toed the 'Congress line' of
equating 'terrorism' with 'Muslims' instead of 'Jihadis'. This statement will
discourage the
'moderates' and 'intellectuals' of the minority
community, who have just started coming out in the open denouncing the Jihadis
and terrorism.
Though the meeting was convened with the aim
of tagging the majority community as 'communal', as evidenced by the papers
circulated by the likes of Lalu, Mulayam and Paswan and the statements made
by the likes of Karat and Raja, the NDA Chief Ministers have utilised their
chances
in conveying the exact picture of the problems
and the steps needed to solve them.
While Modi, Kandhuri and other BJP Chief Ministers
demanded tough laws against Jihadi terrorism and evangelisation, Naveen Patnaik
gave the original picture in Kandhamal by explaining in detail about the manifestation
of the violence through years of ethnic strains and conflict of interest between
STs & SCs over land rights, employment opportunities and religion, in
which the evangelical businesses have played a vital role.
Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddiyurappa brought
out the facts about the churches and evangelical businesses indulging in denigration
of Hindu Gods & Goddesses and Hinduism and he even assailed the centre
for
targeting only NDA ruled states with Article 355 while many other UPA and
Left ruled states are worse in maintaining law & order.
There are also other unwanted anomalies like
Congress President Sonia, who doesn't hold any Constitutional post, sitting
on the stage next to the Prime Minister, while the leader of the opposition
in the Lokh Saba
L K Advani was listed 134th along with 'other
dignitaries' and while Amar Singh, just a party functionary, was invited,
the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Saba Jaswant Singh was not.
A government could not have insulted opposition
leaders worse than this. At the end of the day, the NIC adopted a resolution
condemning all acts of violence and terrorism and resolving to deal with them
firmly and claimed that a 'consensus' has been arrived at to contain 'communal'
discord and violence to protect 'minority rights'. In other words NIC says,
'majority' are 'communal' and they don't have any rights and don't deserve
any protection! There can't be a worse 'disintegration' than this. The nation
doesn't require a 'body' of this nature.
