Three years of the Congress-led UPA government are very disappointing. People are evaluating these years with different angles. If we think about the democratic norms and values it is clear that they have been degraded a lot during the recent President'selection. The post of President in our country is above the considerations of castes, religions and party politics. Commitment to the nation is the first priority and caste, party or the way of worship are all secondary considerations.
Secondly, the personal and national life of the person contesting this post should be clean and inspiring. Wherever in the country or the world the President visits, the countrymen should feel that he/she is our guide and true representative. The names of Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Radhakrishnan and Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam are very important in this tradition. It does not mean that other Presidents were not good, the guidance and prestige the country received from these three personalities world over is incomparable.
But this time the President'selection became the most controversial of elections. At a time when the country is passing through a very crucial phase, it would have been better if a candidate with a clean image, consensus vote and with high moral values (male or female) had been elected. It is for the first time after Independence that serious allegations have been levelled against the candidate contesting such a high and dignified post. The democratic and national values have been degraded by the UPA government in this election. The country is clearly feeling this degradation. I respect Smt. Pratibha Patil as President like any other countrymen. But whatever has appeared in the media during the election was not good and the country was not given satisfactory answers of all those allegations. The most countrymen still feel that Dr Kalam should have been given a second term. If any other person had to be brought, he/she should have been of the similar high values and caliber. Once the degradation begins it goes far and wide. What is seen in Goa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh recently can be said the reflection of this degradation. It appears that the democratic values are set as per the party policies. This degradation in democratic values is creating the atmosphere of anarchy in the country.
There are about 26 per cent people living below poverty line or in a very pathetic condition in the country. They belong to all castes, communities and the ways of worships. The Constitution has clear provisions for their uplift. But instead of saying that the nation belongs to all these downtrodden people, our Prime Minister made a public statement that Muslims have the first right over the resources of the nation. It means that the backward, socially and economically deprived people have no right over the national resources. If a Muslim is rich, he has the first right, but the downtrodden have no right!
By making this statement the Prime Minister has fully belied the basic concept of the Constitution?one nation, one citizen and one nationality. In March 2003 and again in August 2005 the Supreme Court issued clear directives in two separate cases that the definition of minority has nothing to do with any religion or caste and it is applicable only for those who have migrated from any other country. It could be understood if the government do something special for the livelihood, protection and development of such people. The court clearly said that by doing away with this concept of minorityism the concept of one nation, one citizen and one nationality should be implemented. If the society is divided into ways of worship, communities or castes, it will pave the way for further division of the country.
At such a crucial time the UPA government constituted the Sachar Committee. After the report of this Committee even a common Muslim says that the Muslims did not come to know about their backwardness, they only came to know about the fact how brutally the successive Congress governments misled them in the last 50 years of Independence and how they were befooled by the present Congress and Left leaders. It is, in fact, the character report of the Congress rule. Following this report, wherever the Congress governments announced reservation or any other special benefit for Muslims to win the assembly elections, the Muslims did not vote for it. It only spread the messages that Congress is trying to purchase Muslims. By and large, the overall message spread around the country is that people of a particular religion, and not the majority Indians or citizens of this country, have first right over the national resources. The politics of minorityism has sowed the seeds of discord in the society. This UPA government has not only failed to protect and preserve the national unity and integrity, but also has tried to further divide the nation on the basis of religious parties and ways of worship.
The third issue that agitated the nation and exposed the failure of the UPA government is China'srepeated claim over Indian territories. In November 2005, when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited India, the Chinese Ambassador gave a statement that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China. When Indians protested strongly against this statement, they started saying it a disputed territory. On the other hand, it is a fact known to the whole world that China has illegally occupied Kailash Mansarovar, Aksai Chin and Tibet. Presenting an example of a good friend, China should abandon its claim over these territories immediately. But instead of abandoning its illegal claim, China did not even apologise for such statements. Not only this, despite such controversial statements the Chinese President visited India and our Government welcomed him with open arms. This is how the UPA Government proved to be the weakest government on this front.
The problem does not end here. A group of 103 Indian officers had to go to China for special training in May this year. This group had one member from Arunachal Pradesh also. The Chinese Embassy did not give visa to that person saying that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China and a Chinese citizen does not need any visa to visit his own country. When people of the country expressed great anguish, China again started saying it a disputed territory.
We all know that Pt. Nehru had committed a blunder by trusting China on Panchsheel Agreement and China deceived by invading India in 1962. At that time the nationalist leadership had warned the Government of India but it did not listen to anyone. Today also the nationalist leadership and the people of the country are repeatedly cautioning the government, but it has been ignoring all the warnings and is blindly trusting China. We fear the history might repeat.
By and large when we think about the security of the Himalayas and the borders, this UPA government has been proved to be the weakest. Whereas the government should have told the Chinese government that if you are a good friend show us the gesture by vacating our territories. The Government of Pakistan should also be told to vacate PoK respecting the two unanimous resolutions passed in the Parliament in 1962 and 1994 resolving to liberate even a single inch of land of India from China and Pakistan. Today the UPA government with the help of the countrymen should work on these resolutions.
(The author is member of National Executive of RSS and can be contacted at [email protected])
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