Author: KR Phanda
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: April 14, 2006
India has fought four wars with Pakistan and
in all the four cases the country has had an upper hand. Yet the issue of
Jammu & Kashmir has remained unresolved. Crores of rupees have been spent
and thousands have lost their lives. To remain in power has been the only
concern, be it the Congress, the Janata Party or the Bhartiya Janata Party.
Since the Hindu vote is fractured, every party has followed a policy of Muslim
appeasement.
The UPA Government, since it came to power in 2004, has set up four high-powered
committees/commissions and a separate Ministry of Minority to look into the
demands of the Muslims. Earlier, the Janata Party under the leadership of
Morarji Desai and with the support of the present leadership of BJP had set
up the National Commission for Minorities. All right thinking people then,
including Justice MH Beg had expressed reservations about the need for setting
up such a commission.
The decision to set up the commission re-inforced the two-nation theory on
the basis of which India was divided in 1947. In the last 60 years, no party
has opted for the abolition of Haj subsidy, a patently communal provision.
The BJP leadership in its election campaign in 2004 had promised lakhs of
jobs to Muslim teachers. Thus, no party in India can claim high moral ground
for being national in its aims and character. What is happening today is a
complete replay of the politics practised during 1920-1947.
What the UPA is doing at present to appease Muslims was done earlier by Gandhi
during 1920-1947. The means are the same only the objective is different.
In order to drive the British out of India, Gandhi wanted Hindus and Muslims
to unite in the endeavour. Therefore, he went on making one concession after
another to keep the Muslims happy. In the end, Gandhi failed and Jinnah won.
Pakistan emerged on the basis of religion because the Muslims of India overwhelmingly
voted for its creation during the elections held in 1945-'46.
The British in their wisdom agreed to the vivisection of India because they
believed that this would put an end to Hindu-Muslim conflict for ever. The
British were convinced that this intractable problem which they had faced
ever since the constitutional reforms were undertaken from the beginning of
the 20th century had not satisfied the Muslims and this led to communal riots
often in different parts of country. Jinnah on his part had also assured the
Cabinet Mission in 1946 that minorities, if left behind after the creation
of Pakistan, would be held as reciprocal hostages. In his words, it would
be tit for tat. Unfortunately, the Indian leadership had a blurred vision
and they did not agree to any of the proposals made by the leader of the Muslim
League.
Had the Indian leadership agreed to the most reasonable and rational proposals
made by Qaid-e-Azam, there would have been no problems and issues would have
been sorted out between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhi can be forgiven for appeasing
the Muslims because he wanted unity between the two communities to wrest Independence
for India; but what the UPA is doing is completely unpardonable.
For the sake of remaining in power, it is feverishly working towards providing
as many facilities as possible to the Muslim community. For all benefits given
to the Muslim community, the cost is ultimately borne by the majority community.
This time, however, the end result would be the Balkanisation of India.
