Prime Minister's?Muslims and Minorities, first? pronouncement has effectively demolished his public image of being an honest and decent man. One has no reason to believe that he has committed any financial fraud or impropriety but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Dr. Manmohan Singh is politically dishonest and can go to any length even pursuing policies that he knows go against the national interests-to keep the job given to him by his foreign-born boss. There is no other explanation for his unacceptable observation in the address to the National Development Council that minorities, particularly Muslim minority, had the first claim on national resources.
Congress party'sassertion that PM'sannouncement was the ?collective reflection of ground realities? is a clear indication that he was ordered to say what he said. The obnoxious statement that goes against the national interests has a direct link with the perverse mindset behind the setting up of the Sachar Committee and its ?made to order? report. The Muslim League that succeeded in partitioning the country had demanded parity for Muslims with Hindus in the pre-Partition India. The Congress party that is Muslim League'snew ?avatar? has gone far ahead. It no longer wants parity for Muslims; it insists that the community has the first claim on national resources. If implemented this policy would mean that the Government'spriority is to devote national resources for the Muslims and other ?minorities? and let the majority that constitute 85 per cent of the population-wait for their share of the pie till the minorities become prosperous. It is pre-posterous and rank communal. The Prime Minister has not the decency to apologise for his totally unacceptable communal statement.
Instead of showing a bias against the Hindus, the Prime Minister should have spoken that the deprived sections of society ?to whatever religious faith or community they belong to? had the first claim to resources so that they can come up, as close as possible, to the level of better off sections of the society. He didn'teven mention the s/c and s/t. That doesn'tseem to be a priority segment in his party'sscheme of things. The ruling alliance has no time to think of or plan for the empowerment and economic and social growth of weaker sections of the society. Its focus pure and simple-is on vote-bank politics. The PM'sassertion and the Congress party spokespersons declaration that Dr Manmohan Singh will not, will never, apologise for his statement is meant to send across a strong message to the Muslims in UP and other states going to polls early next year to vote for the Congress.
Other ?secular? parties too are vying with each other to support the PM on the issue. Look, how strongly Ramvilas Paswan the self-proclaimed protector of Dalits-is supporting the PM. He wants the PM to ignore what Hindu nationalists are saying and go ahead with his plans to woo the Muslims. Woe to communal and castiest leaders.
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh'sexplanation that Prime Minister'sstatement had been ?misread? is perhaps an indication of Prime Minister'sinitial response to the protests from the Hindu nationalists. The Italy-born lady was not amused. Hence, the subsequent stand taken by Parliamentary Affairs Minister who strongly defended Dr Manmohan Singh and declared that the latter would never apologise for his stand. Muslims are important for the Congress party'srevival in UP, a crucial state that would determine the fate of the party in the next parliamentary elections due in 2009.
And the only other minority ?the Christians? that is neither economically nor socially a backward community, is getting empowered within the Congress and the Government apparatus at the Centre and in states where Congress is in power primarily because the community has a God-mother residing in 10, Janpath. She has carefully cultivated the image of a Hindu.
In reality, she is a Catholic Christian and has systematically planted Christians at all levels in the Congress party and government machinery. Dr. Manmohan Singh knows he can survive as Prime Minister only if he caters to the growing Christian lobby in the Congress. So much for his secularism!
Even as this communal lobby is destroying the social fabric of the country by resorting to the worst kind of minorityism, the ?liberal brigade? is busy maligning the patriots and going out of its way to create sympathy for homegrown Islamic militants and Pakistani nationals involved in the attack on Parliament. They have now come up with the pernicious theory that the dastardly attack on Parliament was an inside job thereby virtually accusing the NDA Government of stage-managing the attack on the temple of Indian democracy to kick-start a war with Pakistan. It is for the Hindu nationalists, nay, every Indian patriot, to expose and isolate partners in this anti-national industry that is growing at a dangerously fast rate.
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