10-02-2005, 07:11 PM
Charade of minority-majority continues!
http://news.indiainfo.com/columns/guru/092...minorities.html
S Gurumurthy
September 28, 2005
"There is no majority in India. All are minorities among Hindus who are divided
on caste lines." This is not a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) lamenting about
disunity among Hindus.
"The word 'Hindu' conveys the image of diverse groups of communities living in
India". This is not a declaration of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)
about India's Hindu character.
"If claims of sections of Indian society to the status of 'minority' are
considered and conceded, there would be no end to such claims in a society as
multi-religious and multi-linguistic that India is". This is not an extract
from any resolution of BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) National Executive Meet.
"Commissions set up for minorities have to direct their activities to maintain
integrity and unity of India by gradually eliminating the minority and majority
classes". This is not a majoritarian wish list.
"The constitutional ideal is to create social conditions where there remains no
necessity to shield or protect the rights of minority". This is not the dream
of a constitutional idealist.
This is what the Supreme Court has said in a recent judgement on whether the
Jain community constitutes a national minority or not!
The Jain community had pleaded that it be regarded as minority under the
Constitution. Rejecting the claim unhesitatingly, the Court said Jains are
integral to the Hindu faith. It did not stop at that. It exposed the naked fact
that, there is an absence of a constitutional, political majority in India. It
said, "In a caste-ridden Indian society, no section or distinct group of people
can claim to be in majority". That is, according to the Court, Hindus are not a
majority.
Thus, we have the paradox of an ever-expanding list of minorities on the one
hand, and on the other, a non-existent majority! Yet, the Seculars keep warning
us about 'majoritarianism', threatening to extinguish all minorities, while the
highest Court says there is no majority in the country! The highest Court has
in effect lamented that we keep generating more and more minorities instead of
assimilating the existing ones.
Historically, how did the idea of minority and the demand for their special care
and protection originate in our Constitution? This is how, traced the Courtâ¦
The British attempt 'to form separate electorates' on the basis of population of
Hindus and Muslims led to a "demand for reservations of constituencies and
seats in the first elected Government to be formed in free India". "Resistance
to such demands by Hindu and some Muslim leaders ultimately led to partition of
India and formation of separate Muslim State", Pakistan, it added.
If it were a pre-Partition political paralysis, how did it get into our
Constitution, post Partition? This is how, "Against this background of
Partition, it felt necessary, to 'allay the apprehensions and fears' in the
minds of Muslims and other religious communities by providing them special
protection of their religious, cultural and educational rights", SC said.
Undeniably, such fears were deliberately generated among Muslims then, to
justify the Partition and the need for special protection for minorities in the
Constitution. But, even after Partition, this political distortion continued as
the seculars systematically kept alive this fear psychosis to further divide
the majority and minority, and also give political, constitutional legitimacy
to it.
It is in this context that the Court felt concerned about the trend among Hindu
communities to seek minority status for constitutional privileges. It warned,
"Many of them claim status as minority and expect protection from the state. If
each minority group fears the other group", the court added, that "would create
an atmosphere of mutual fear, distrust and pose a serious threat to the
integrity of our nation". It would "sow seeds of multi-nationalism in India",
it warned.
SC pointed out that, "The ideal of a democratic society, which has adopted right
of equality as its fundamental creed, should eliminate the majority and
minority concepts". The Court counselled the Minority Commission not to
proliferate, but instead prune the list of minorities, so that over a period
they 'are done away with altogether.'
Indeed, it is a profound judgement with letters worth of gold, yet there is not
a single article about it in the media or a sentence from the columnists. The
Secular megaphones are deafeningly silent. They would shout in chorus 'abide by
Court verdict' on, say, the Ram Temple issue. But will they ever say that the
profound words of the highest Court in this judgement should be respected,
accepted?
No, for if they do, their secular charade cannot continue. For them the
minorities have to be protected, even if majority does not exist or has to be
invented.
This is the Indian secular theatre, with more and more communities queuing up to
be listed as minorities, and no one willing to bear the cross of the majority.
Thus moves on a country full of minorities, each of them demanding only rights
and privileges, and with no political, constitutional majority on the other
side to bear the responsibility for the nation.
http://news.indiainfo.com/columns/guru/092...minorities.html
S Gurumurthy
September 28, 2005
"There is no majority in India. All are minorities among Hindus who are divided
on caste lines." This is not a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) lamenting about
disunity among Hindus.
"The word 'Hindu' conveys the image of diverse groups of communities living in
India". This is not a declaration of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)
about India's Hindu character.
"If claims of sections of Indian society to the status of 'minority' are
considered and conceded, there would be no end to such claims in a society as
multi-religious and multi-linguistic that India is". This is not an extract
from any resolution of BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) National Executive Meet.
"Commissions set up for minorities have to direct their activities to maintain
integrity and unity of India by gradually eliminating the minority and majority
classes". This is not a majoritarian wish list.
"The constitutional ideal is to create social conditions where there remains no
necessity to shield or protect the rights of minority". This is not the dream
of a constitutional idealist.
This is what the Supreme Court has said in a recent judgement on whether the
Jain community constitutes a national minority or not!
The Jain community had pleaded that it be regarded as minority under the
Constitution. Rejecting the claim unhesitatingly, the Court said Jains are
integral to the Hindu faith. It did not stop at that. It exposed the naked fact
that, there is an absence of a constitutional, political majority in India. It
said, "In a caste-ridden Indian society, no section or distinct group of people
can claim to be in majority". That is, according to the Court, Hindus are not a
majority.
Thus, we have the paradox of an ever-expanding list of minorities on the one
hand, and on the other, a non-existent majority! Yet, the Seculars keep warning
us about 'majoritarianism', threatening to extinguish all minorities, while the
highest Court says there is no majority in the country! The highest Court has
in effect lamented that we keep generating more and more minorities instead of
assimilating the existing ones.
Historically, how did the idea of minority and the demand for their special care
and protection originate in our Constitution? This is how, traced the Courtâ¦
The British attempt 'to form separate electorates' on the basis of population of
Hindus and Muslims led to a "demand for reservations of constituencies and
seats in the first elected Government to be formed in free India". "Resistance
to such demands by Hindu and some Muslim leaders ultimately led to partition of
India and formation of separate Muslim State", Pakistan, it added.
If it were a pre-Partition political paralysis, how did it get into our
Constitution, post Partition? This is how, "Against this background of
Partition, it felt necessary, to 'allay the apprehensions and fears' in the
minds of Muslims and other religious communities by providing them special
protection of their religious, cultural and educational rights", SC said.
Undeniably, such fears were deliberately generated among Muslims then, to
justify the Partition and the need for special protection for minorities in the
Constitution. But, even after Partition, this political distortion continued as
the seculars systematically kept alive this fear psychosis to further divide
the majority and minority, and also give political, constitutional legitimacy
to it.
It is in this context that the Court felt concerned about the trend among Hindu
communities to seek minority status for constitutional privileges. It warned,
"Many of them claim status as minority and expect protection from the state. If
each minority group fears the other group", the court added, that "would create
an atmosphere of mutual fear, distrust and pose a serious threat to the
integrity of our nation". It would "sow seeds of multi-nationalism in India",
it warned.
SC pointed out that, "The ideal of a democratic society, which has adopted right
of equality as its fundamental creed, should eliminate the majority and
minority concepts". The Court counselled the Minority Commission not to
proliferate, but instead prune the list of minorities, so that over a period
they 'are done away with altogether.'
Indeed, it is a profound judgement with letters worth of gold, yet there is not
a single article about it in the media or a sentence from the columnists. The
Secular megaphones are deafeningly silent. They would shout in chorus 'abide by
Court verdict' on, say, the Ram Temple issue. But will they ever say that the
profound words of the highest Court in this judgement should be respected,
accepted?
No, for if they do, their secular charade cannot continue. For them the
minorities have to be protected, even if majority does not exist or has to be
invented.
This is the Indian secular theatre, with more and more communities queuing up to
be listed as minorities, and no one willing to bear the cross of the majority.
Thus moves on a country full of minorities, each of them demanding only rights
and privileges, and with no political, constitutional majority on the other
side to bear the responsibility for the nation.