UPA trying to divide India
Sandhya JainThe PioneerDecember 26, 2007
If the British used communal electorates to secure Partition in barely four decades, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance may succeed faster in eating the fruit of its desire to allocate 15 per cent of the funds for development and welfare schemes exclusively for minorities.
BJP president Rajnath Singh has done well to oppose this divisive munificence, which may or may not salvage the Congress's shrinking minority vote-bank, but will certainly intensify communal competitiveness and friction nationwide.
Such dangerously disruptive minority appeasement will not merely alter the definition of secularism, whose traditional meaning is state disinterest in the denominational affiliations of its citizens.
France, father of Western secularism, later extended this principal from Christianity to all religions.
In Nehruvian India, secularism began as apathy to the majority Hindu faith and solicitude towards Islam. Over the decades, this extended progressively to excessive minority appeasement and hatred of all things Hindu.
Now, under the UPA dispensation, secularism is synonymous with a 'Muslim first' policy, making it difficult to distinguish India from neighbouring Islamic countries
The BJP rightly fears that the Centre's special 15-point programme for minorities in the 11th Plan draft paper could trigger competitive communal demands for budgetary allocations. Worse, it may stimulate caste-based demands for resource allocation, with consequences one does not dare dwell upon.
Not only will this overturn the traditional holistic approach to national development, it may unravel the nation itself. The pre-programmed Sachar Committee report on the socio-economic conditions of Muslims, pretext for this dangerous step, militates against constitutional injunctions against discrimination on grounds of religion, and is a fit subject for public interest litigation.
Given these high stakes, the BJP States did well to oppose 'communal budgeting' at the recent National Development Council meeting.
Pointing to the threat to the social fabric, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wisely suggested that funds for various schemes and programmes be allocated solely on the basis of socio-economic criteria, leaving execution to the States.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh also insisted that rather than caste or religion, economic criteria alone should determine allocation of funds for welfare schemes.
With the challenge of poverty intact, the 11th Plan should resist the lure of a communal shortcut to development.
Amid the UPA's bid to heighten communal sensitivities, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes' chairman, Mr Buta Singh, has defused a high-voltage issue with finesse. An old Congressman, Mr Singh must have been under considerable pressure to endorse the recommendations of the Justice Ranganath Mishra National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities. The NCRLM had on May 15, 2007, recommended that Scheduled Caste status, hitherto restricted to groups among Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, be de-linked from religion by amending the Constitution (SCs) Order, 1950, and extended to "Dalit Christians" and "Dalit Muslims".
Possibly anticipating the Ranganath Mishra Commission's recommendations, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes had declared in February 2007 that the basic parameter for classification as Scheduled Caste was "untouchability", which does not exist in the theology of Christianity and Islam.
In October 2007, the NCSC said the proposed reservation for "Dalit Christians" should not poach upon existing reservation for Scheduled Castes. Finally, on December 7, 2007, it declared there was no evidence that "Dalit Christians" and "Dalit Muslims" suffered "untouchability"; hence, they were not entitled to Scheduled Caste status.
This flawless reasoning will make it difficult for the UPA to extend quota benefits to Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam. Any attempt to grant additional quota for 'minority Dalits' could violate the Supreme Court's 50 per cent ceiling on reservation.
The remaining option of carving Dalit converts a share out of the 27 per cent OBC quota is fraught with political danger; indeed, neither SCs nor OBCs will agree to share their quota pie. Mr Buta Singh's opinion is critical because a PIL in the apex court is seeking SC status and quota benefits for converts to Christianity.
Conversion lobbies in Christianity and Islam will find it difficult to overcome this roadblock. In order to procure a share of the coveted reservation quota for neo-converts, they will have to admit that Christianity and Islam practice untouchability in India! It will be difficult to do this without attracting penal provisions under the law for discrimination on grounds of caste or race (applicable to Islam). This will knock the bottom out of the moral high ground on which these two faiths stand and berate Hindu dharma and varna-jati for inegalitarian practices, violative of human dignity.
More importantly, it would have a deleterious impact upon both religions world-wide if they admit practicing and institutionalising discrimination in faith in any country. It may be pertinent that long before the collapse of the Soviet Union and fall of the Berlin Wall, Stalin rang the death-knell of Communism with his proclamation of "socialism in one country". This may have been pragmatic and necessary to consolidate his hold upon Russia, but it militated against the very ethos of a totalitarian, millenarian ideology. After that, it was only a matter of time for Marxism to be recognised as the monotheist god that failed.
Christianity and Islam should be cautious about leaping into this well without application of mind. Any further insistence on a quota for Dalit converts should be met with a nationwide ban on religious conversion as such conversion is admittedly promoting communal ill will and caste discrimination!
Indeed, the demand for SC status for Dalit converts should be taken as a tacit admission of the wilful presence of untouchability in Islam and Christianity, and the conversions declared breach of trust, illegal, violative of human dignity, and detrimental to religious and cultural freedom. All converts suffering discrimination should immediately revert to their native traditions.
Interestingly, the Poor Christian Liberation Movement has condemned this church conspiracy to push 'Dalit Christians' into the Scheduled Caste list. PCLM president RL Francis says Dalits converted to Christianity to preserve their dignity, for which they sacrificed reservation benefits under the Constitution. Indian church authorities betrayed them on both counts and are guilty of collective sin, aggravated by the pernicious attempt to promote casteism in Christianity. Mr Francis's call for compensation for the 20 million 'Dalit Christians' who have suffered economic loss by converting deserves consideration as a class action suit by the apex court.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Shame on Congress
Shame on Congress: Swamy
24.12.2007PRESS RELEASE
The impressive victory at the polls of the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi was a result of a potent combination of his first rate development record, unalloyed Hindutva, and unreticent anti-Sonia exposure.
The same combination will work in other States going to polls in 2008, and finally in the Lok Sabha elections.
Instead of recognizing that the people of India are rejecting Ms.Sonia Gandhi and her dumb son Rahul Gandhi in state after State including from where they both were elected to Parliament, namely, Uttar Pradesh, the Congress Party is quoted to have stated gracelessly (New Indian Express, Chennai, today) that "Fascist do sometimes win, sometimes more than once". This crude remark is however more applicable to Ms.Sonia Gandhi whose father Stefano Maino had volunteered and joined Hitler's fascist German army in 1941 and landed in a Soviet prison in Vladimir, near St.Petersburg. There, seeing the German army being routed, he defected to another version of the Fascists, viz., the Soviet KGB, Ms.Sonia Gandhi's mother Paola is even today a member of the National Front in Italy which adores Mussolini and fronts for the Fascists.
Hence, seeing the trend in India, Ms.Sonia and her family should pack up their bags and leave for Italy. In the time of 1971 War and 1977 JP victory, she had fled with her children temporarily. But now she should do so permanently. (SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)
24.12.2007PRESS RELEASE
The impressive victory at the polls of the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi was a result of a potent combination of his first rate development record, unalloyed Hindutva, and unreticent anti-Sonia exposure.
The same combination will work in other States going to polls in 2008, and finally in the Lok Sabha elections.
Instead of recognizing that the people of India are rejecting Ms.Sonia Gandhi and her dumb son Rahul Gandhi in state after State including from where they both were elected to Parliament, namely, Uttar Pradesh, the Congress Party is quoted to have stated gracelessly (New Indian Express, Chennai, today) that "Fascist do sometimes win, sometimes more than once". This crude remark is however more applicable to Ms.Sonia Gandhi whose father Stefano Maino had volunteered and joined Hitler's fascist German army in 1941 and landed in a Soviet prison in Vladimir, near St.Petersburg. There, seeing the German army being routed, he defected to another version of the Fascists, viz., the Soviet KGB, Ms.Sonia Gandhi's mother Paola is even today a member of the National Front in Italy which adores Mussolini and fronts for the Fascists.
Hence, seeing the trend in India, Ms.Sonia and her family should pack up their bags and leave for Italy. In the time of 1971 War and 1977 JP victory, she had fled with her children temporarily. But now she should do so permanently. (SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)
Say With Pride , We Are Hindus
We are in denial Negating identity causes inaction, sloth and lethargy
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
If you come across a Communist, with a Hindu name, and ask him about his identity, he will deny being a Hindu.
Yet, a Muslim Communist often claims his identity without hesitation.
One wonders what causes this difference in attitude. It is interesting to probe into the psyche of identity, which often is a source of security, insecurity, conflict and comfort.
Perhaps the following reasons would answer the identity crises of the Hindus.
The broadmindedness of Hinduism, its inherent inclusiveness and secularism, makes Hindus feel guilty about claiming their identity, as it is embedded in their philosophy that it is wrong to exclude others. Claiming a religious identity makes them feel they are excluding others and so they shy away from doing so. Hindus have been traditionally groomed by the Vedanta to drop all identities. This has deeply influenced the Hindu psyche. Hindu philosophy is woven around egolessness.
Let alone their religion, some sadhus don't even say their name; they would say, "What's in a name?" Sanyasis are even shy to talk about their parentage.
A renowned ascetic in Rishikesh would meet with everybody, but not his own mother and family. When asked, he would say, "I am Vedanti; once I have taken sanyasa, I have dropped all my identities." This is an erroneous understanding of Vedanta.
Why do we fear the identity so much? Seeing identity as stumbling blocks for one's growth is ignorance. Sanyasa is transcending identity; it is being in that centredness from where you have equal love and compassion for all. It is the unshakable light and richness that one has found in one's Being which is universal. Transcending identity is different from denying identity.
When religious leaders themselves denounce their identity, the community follows suit. This is akin to the thought that secularism is anti-religion. Caste identity is in some places much stronger than religious identity.
The normal tendency is to go for one single identity than for a dual one.
So, between caste and religion, many Hindus seem to go for caste. Hindus feel ashamed of the ills of Hinduism — its superstition, untouchability, and practices like sati are usually highlighted in the media, rather than its unparalleled philosophy and scientific temperament.
Thus, for several centuries Hindu bashing has been a fashion. The media seems to have given the prerogative of Hindu identity to the RSS and VHP and secular-minded Hindus would not like to associate with these two organisations.
As a result they shy away from their own identity. Within India itself, we witness a great deal of ignorance about the Hindu religion and its scriptures. Although Hindus form 80 per cent population of India, there is still only one university which teaches Hinduism — whereas there are five which teach Islam, five which teach Christianity, two which teach Sikhism and one that teaches Jainism.
You would find every Muslim would know a couple of verses from the Quran; you can hardly find a Christian who has not read the Bible.
But Hindus who know Sanskrit or a few shlokas are rare.
Most educated Hindus know the Bible; they know Christmas carols.
When they know nothing about their religion, how can they take pride in it?
There are 1.25 billion Hindus in the world, a little over one-sixth of the world's population, but you hardly find a single Hindu lobby at international forums.
You will find a Christian lobby, a Muslim lobby or a Jewish lobby, but you can't find a Hindu lobby.
Just 12 million Jews in the world are such a powerful voice.
Buddhists also have a voice and make their presence felt at world forums.
In countries of south and central America and in Europe, although they are secular democracies, they are not shy to proclaim their allegiance to Christianity.
You will find the religious symbol of the Cross placed in their parliaments;
chaplains offer prayer before every official dinner.
While associations like YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) have gained wide acceptance. Why then is it that Hindu associations are viewed with scepticism?
A strong community is an asset to any nation. A weak community will always be in fear and because of insecurity will become aggressive. It is the pride in one's identity which strengthens the community. Identity is in no way contradictory to universality.
People often ask, "Will not the concept of global family, Vasudhaiva Kutambakam, contradict patriotism? Similarly, will your religious identity not conflict with your universality?'' The answer is "No". Your duty as a family man is not a hindrance for your realisation that you are Brahman.
You don't need to run away to the forest to realise "All this is Brahman". Your being spiritual in no way contradicts your being a socially responsible citizen. In fact, it enhances your ability to care and share.
The conflict in the world is because people are either stuck in their identity, and die for it, or shy away from their identity and lose their roots. One has to opt for a middle path. The ideal situation will be when every religion transcends its identity.
Until that time, it is unwise for the Hindus to let go of their identity. We cannot, and should not, eliminate differences on this planet. We need to celebrate the differences. And this is the uniqueness of Bharat — from the atheism of Charvaka to Bhakthi Panth and Sufism, it's one beautiful bouquet. An identity is related to an action.
Denial of identity will dump you in inaction, sloth and lethargy and hence Krishna reminds Arjuna of his Kshatriya identity even while giving "Brahma gyan" to remind him of his duties and responsibilities.
Otherwise while giving this High knowledge of the Self, why would Krishna remind him again and again of his limited identity. The limited identity in no way contradicts the universal one.
A policeman cannot perform his duties — steer the traffic — if he fails to acknowledge his identity.
Similarly, if a businessman shies away from his identity, he cannot function. The same is the story of Hindu identity.
India cannot make a distinct mark on the world if it ignores its religious and spiritual heritage.
...................
Say with pride, We are Hindus
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
If you come across a Communist, with a Hindu name, and ask him about his identity, he will deny being a Hindu.
Yet, a Muslim Communist often claims his identity without hesitation.
One wonders what causes this difference in attitude. It is interesting to probe into the psyche of identity, which often is a source of security, insecurity, conflict and comfort.
Perhaps the following reasons would answer the identity crises of the Hindus.
The broadmindedness of Hinduism, its inherent inclusiveness and secularism, makes Hindus feel guilty about claiming their identity, as it is embedded in their philosophy that it is wrong to exclude others. Claiming a religious identity makes them feel they are excluding others and so they shy away from doing so. Hindus have been traditionally groomed by the Vedanta to drop all identities. This has deeply influenced the Hindu psyche. Hindu philosophy is woven around egolessness.
Let alone their religion, some sadhus don't even say their name; they would say, "What's in a name?" Sanyasis are even shy to talk about their parentage.
A renowned ascetic in Rishikesh would meet with everybody, but not his own mother and family. When asked, he would say, "I am Vedanti; once I have taken sanyasa, I have dropped all my identities." This is an erroneous understanding of Vedanta.
Why do we fear the identity so much? Seeing identity as stumbling blocks for one's growth is ignorance. Sanyasa is transcending identity; it is being in that centredness from where you have equal love and compassion for all. It is the unshakable light and richness that one has found in one's Being which is universal. Transcending identity is different from denying identity.
When religious leaders themselves denounce their identity, the community follows suit. This is akin to the thought that secularism is anti-religion. Caste identity is in some places much stronger than religious identity.
The normal tendency is to go for one single identity than for a dual one.
So, between caste and religion, many Hindus seem to go for caste. Hindus feel ashamed of the ills of Hinduism — its superstition, untouchability, and practices like sati are usually highlighted in the media, rather than its unparalleled philosophy and scientific temperament.
Thus, for several centuries Hindu bashing has been a fashion. The media seems to have given the prerogative of Hindu identity to the RSS and VHP and secular-minded Hindus would not like to associate with these two organisations.
As a result they shy away from their own identity. Within India itself, we witness a great deal of ignorance about the Hindu religion and its scriptures. Although Hindus form 80 per cent population of India, there is still only one university which teaches Hinduism — whereas there are five which teach Islam, five which teach Christianity, two which teach Sikhism and one that teaches Jainism.
You would find every Muslim would know a couple of verses from the Quran; you can hardly find a Christian who has not read the Bible.
But Hindus who know Sanskrit or a few shlokas are rare.
Most educated Hindus know the Bible; they know Christmas carols.
When they know nothing about their religion, how can they take pride in it?
There are 1.25 billion Hindus in the world, a little over one-sixth of the world's population, but you hardly find a single Hindu lobby at international forums.
You will find a Christian lobby, a Muslim lobby or a Jewish lobby, but you can't find a Hindu lobby.
Just 12 million Jews in the world are such a powerful voice.
Buddhists also have a voice and make their presence felt at world forums.
In countries of south and central America and in Europe, although they are secular democracies, they are not shy to proclaim their allegiance to Christianity.
You will find the religious symbol of the Cross placed in their parliaments;
chaplains offer prayer before every official dinner.
While associations like YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) have gained wide acceptance. Why then is it that Hindu associations are viewed with scepticism?
A strong community is an asset to any nation. A weak community will always be in fear and because of insecurity will become aggressive. It is the pride in one's identity which strengthens the community. Identity is in no way contradictory to universality.
People often ask, "Will not the concept of global family, Vasudhaiva Kutambakam, contradict patriotism? Similarly, will your religious identity not conflict with your universality?'' The answer is "No". Your duty as a family man is not a hindrance for your realisation that you are Brahman.
You don't need to run away to the forest to realise "All this is Brahman". Your being spiritual in no way contradicts your being a socially responsible citizen. In fact, it enhances your ability to care and share.
The conflict in the world is because people are either stuck in their identity, and die for it, or shy away from their identity and lose their roots. One has to opt for a middle path. The ideal situation will be when every religion transcends its identity.
Until that time, it is unwise for the Hindus to let go of their identity. We cannot, and should not, eliminate differences on this planet. We need to celebrate the differences. And this is the uniqueness of Bharat — from the atheism of Charvaka to Bhakthi Panth and Sufism, it's one beautiful bouquet. An identity is related to an action.
Denial of identity will dump you in inaction, sloth and lethargy and hence Krishna reminds Arjuna of his Kshatriya identity even while giving "Brahma gyan" to remind him of his duties and responsibilities.
Otherwise while giving this High knowledge of the Self, why would Krishna remind him again and again of his limited identity. The limited identity in no way contradicts the universal one.
A policeman cannot perform his duties — steer the traffic — if he fails to acknowledge his identity.
Similarly, if a businessman shies away from his identity, he cannot function. The same is the story of Hindu identity.
India cannot make a distinct mark on the world if it ignores its religious and spiritual heritage.
...................
Say with pride, We are Hindus
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