BJP TODAY

February 16--28, 2005 - Vol. 24, No. 4

Govt must act before conflagration consumes entire nation
By J.G. Arora

If an individual plays with fire, he burns his own fingers; but if the government plays with
fire, entire nation gets doomed. In India since 1947, most of the governments have been playing with fire and damaging the nation. There is no let-up in this regard as even now the government at the Centre, as also many state governments, are following divisive and sectarian agendas, thereby fragmenting the nation and playing with fire.

Since we cannot understand the present without knowing the past, let us know some history.
There was no Mulsim presence in the Indian sub-continent till 712, when Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army attacked Sind and defeated its Hindu King Dahir. Afterwards, Muslim invaders from Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan continued to attack and plunder India, and subjugated Indian sub-continent till 1857 during which period a small Muslim minority continued to rule over a large Hindu majority in vast areas of the sub-continent.

From 1857 to 1947 India was under the British Empire.The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885, Muslim League in 1906 and India was partitioned in 1947.

In 1971 East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh are Islamic Republics and have driven out most of the Hindus from their land. Thus, about one third of the Indian subcontinent which was once Hindu has already been declared as Islamic. In contrast, India is a secular republic.

Though India is a "secular republic", instead of welding various religious communities into one vibrant nation, various political parties and governments have been following divisive and sectarian agendas for their short-term election gain.

Just a few illustrations are given here. Unconcern for the genocide of Hindus in Kashmir and their eviction from Kashmir to become refugees in their own country. Carving out mini-Pakistan in the shape of Muslim majority districts of Mallapuram in Kerala and Satyamewapuram in Haryana; retention of the divisive article 370 in the Constitution conferring a special status on Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir and lack of action against illegal infiltration of crores of Bangladeshies into India threatening the creation of one more Islamic country on Indian soil these are just some such manifestations.

After the recent parliamentary elections, the Congress-led Andhra Pradesh Government passed the order (later quashed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court) giving reservation in government jobs to Muslims on religious grounds. Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh proposed another Muslim University. The Congress-led government in Maharashtra gave statutory status to the State Minority Commission. Not to lag behind, Indian National Lok Dal Government in Haryana carved out the Muslim majority district of Satyamewapuram in Haryana in November, 2004, just as CPI(M) had carved out the Muslim majority district of Mallapuram in Kerala in 1969.

And to add fuel to the already raging fire, the same Indian National Congress which in 1932 had rejected the British Governments offer of "Communal Award" and Separate Electorates for different religious communities, is spearheading, in 2004, the divisive and dangerous move of reservation for Muslims in government jobs. Besides, in Kerala and at the Centre Congress is sharing power with Muslim League, the political party which was responsible for the creation of Pakistan. Further, as reported in a section of the press, Congress-led UPA government wants the para-military forces like BSF, CRPF etc to have 18 per cent reservation for Muslims. Apart from the fact that reservation on religious grounds is unconstitutional, this move will lead to communalisation of para-military forces.

Moreover, the UPA government has initiated the divisive process of giving reservation to minorities (on religious grounds) in government jobs by approving the setting up of a Commission in the this regard. The UPA government's proposal to give a Constitutional status to the Minority Commission is also divisive.

With its aim to destroy India, and bleed India through "a thousand cuts," Pakistan's Intelligence agency ISI is determined to create one more Islamic country in the Eastern part of India. And for this purpose, in collusion with Bangladesh, ISI has implemented infiltration of a crore of Bangladeshis into India.

It is shocking that successive governments have followed the policy of denial, deception and inaction over the said menacing infiltration.

To compound the problem of Bangladeshi infiltration, the Congress-led UPA government has decided not to repeal the "Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act 1983," which is a hindrance to deport illegal infiltrators to Bangladesh.

It is tragic that while anti-national forces are focussed and aggressive nationalistic forces are withdrawn and silent. Neverthless, the nation should not meekly surrender before its tormentors. But to save India from furious fires, all nationalistic individuals and organisations have to act urgently to force the government to reverse its divisive policies, and launch fire fighting operation to salvage the situation.

In a truly secular nation, there should be no majority and no minority. In a really secular system there would be only humans, only citizens. There should be one uniform law and one unified nation. There should be justice to every one, and injustice to none. And let all steps be taken to make India a truly secular nation.

And to foster national unity, long pending Constitutional direction of Article 44 to formulate a uniform civil code has to be implemented urgently. Besides, since Article 370 of the Constitution conferring a special status on the Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir has generated separatism and eviction of Hindus from Kashmir, it must be abrogated forthwith.

To defeat Pakistan and Bangladesh's sinister scheme of creating one more Islamic country on Indian soil, all steps to deport Bangladeshi infiltrators and curb future infiltration must be initiated immediately. Abrogation of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act 1983 cannot wait any longer.

How one wishes the government stops playing with fire and starts fire-fighting operations before the conflagration consumes the entire nation.

(Courtesy : Free Press Journal)