I agree with the writer's comments that it has in India just become associated with minority appeasement. I agree also with him that VP should be jailed, perhaps better hanged for the malice of casteism he has spread. Anybody seeking cote bank, especially of the muslims are being trrated as stancuh secularists. The worst are CPM who have flooded the streets of Calcutta and the borders are right from Calcutta to Bengagoan(the indian border with B/Desh) with Bangladeshis. In the Captial the Congrewss is using all pretests to keep these illegal immigrants, not bothering to see that they are endangering the safety of the nation.
I fully agree with you, and specifically about V.P.Sing and why should you forget the role played by Ranvilash Paswan and Sharad Yadav? SC, ST, OBC Minorities etc should be abolished.
pKL. sUNDAY, 28TH aUG.2005 sRI RAMANAND sENGUPTA OBVIOUSLY WANTS TO COMMENT ON sECULARISM in genral as wellas argue against as it is practically used in political doings of Indian politicians and parties over last several generations; It is right what these elements do as Sengupta argues is very much away from either genuine secularism or even Gandhian Sarva-Dharma Sambhava;it is only vote- capturing antics vw it caste or masjid , or visiting Saints & Derveshes or holding Holi or Iftar bonhomies!It is game in an uncritical sentimental Electorate... However, Senguta ,unfortunetely, is completely wrongheaded in glibly speaking about impossibility of a truly secular being ,any time any where.Just to remind of the great Voltaire who said that even if there is no God for the sake of Fools ,Society shall have to invent one.. Gorky had hoped and rightly so , that though science has taught us to fly in the air like a Bird, or swim in Water like a fish ,it shall be one day possible to walk on terra-firma like a Man that includes woman- D. Goel
I agree completely with what has been said. Creating and consider a group a minority leads to the "Us and them" problem. Also we are all indians and to be truly secular we should all be treated as one instead of giving benefits to one religious sect. May be they were downtrodden or suppressed way back, but nobody is suppressing them now. Appeasing minorities for 10 yrs is ok but no beyond that. In 10 yrs, a whole generation has a chance to grow up into good positions in the society and that means enough has been done.
The terms like majority and minority exist in all nations; both democratic and non democratic. Merely wishing them away will not do away with the historical baggage they carry, almost everywhere on Earth. Regarding the protection accorded to the minorities in the constitution; this is a better model than the assymilationist model of France which the writer touts. Of all non Muslim nations it is India alone which has been able to successfully integrate its large Muslim segment into the democratic civil soceity by allaying the commuunities fears of being subsumed. A feat France seems incapable of carrying off with its bull headedness. This has been possible by providing the necessary cultural and religious space to accomodate the religious sensitivities; through various mechanisms including the Personal laws. This has also had many beneficial effects which are sadly ignored. India has been relatively of Muslim extremism as it is such institutions which have proved a bulwark against militant extremism of Al Qaeda type. Forcible assymilation of Mulsims has not worked anywhere whether it is China,USSR,Turkey,Algeria,Egypt and France etc. Surely India has done something right!
Perfectly valid view. I agree and support your article. My dear fellow Indians, why do we need the divisions as minority or low caste. Let us cherish the identity as Indian only and forget the divisions which history has created and out cheap politicians are perptuating. This is our century PROVIDED we live as INDIANS and not minority or majority. vandemateram Mahesh
I would like to explain to and enlighten the author on what secularism is. Justice to the minority group should not mean injustice to the majority. That certainly is not secularism. Secularism does not mean a nation's rulers or parliament will be made of atheists. Secularism does not mean that the government dislikes a particular religion and discourages it. Secularism simply means that persons of various religions will be treated justly and without any discrimination based on relgious differences. Secularism does not mean that boys and girls should be deprived of the advantages of the disciplines based on the religion professed by the families to which they belong. Pious people in a secular state are to be respected, to whatever faith they belong and encouraged to guide their flocks as before the path of righteousness and restraint. Secularism does not force its people. If secularism is rightly understood, we have, by accident, a firm and decisive doctrine in Hinduism to support non-discrimination and equal respect for all pious people. Unfortunately, in our country, Congress politicians since Independence have ensured that secularism in India is interpreted in anti-Hindu
Had there been real observance of secularism, by now we would have been the most advanced block of population on the earth. For our present status we can't blaim only politicians.
As per our strange definition of freedom, it has been an easy excuse to blame someone else and forget our own liability. No. At our every institution, be it school, regious place or parliament, we are not sincere.
The votebank mania had produced terrible situations. To creat divisions in society under the pretext of caste and religion must be regarded as the biggest crime in a democratic society.
It is an apropriate social measure to help the havenots to prosper them. We have made the biggest mistake to link the govenmental help with birth in a particluar caste or region. State must help who need it most. No two opinions. But state can't be selective, and that too on the basis of the caste system, the system that had already made us inhumans in our behaviour.
The medicine for curing this disease is not perceivable on the horizon. The recent political and social condition creat no hope for reaching at the end of a tunnle. God bless India. --Naval Langa, Ahmedabad.
