By Daya Sagar Sharma
Some more time is needed for finding out the spirit behind the 2009 Lok Sabha Election results. But it could be said that (i) the people of India appear to have voted for stability through larger party (ii) and some rejection of those practicing more of caste / region based politics too could be seen. May be we could hope to see in another five years the end of those who have been mercilessly using religion to scare, misguide and exploit the innocent common Indian. Politicians have worked enough to sow bitterness amongst the Hindu and Muslims . Now Sikh too have been made controversial by declaring Sikhs as minority community even in Punjab . After independence, Caste and religion based politics has gone deep into the veins of those who have no other ambition than to simply rule the lands of India in the name of DEMOCRACY. Times have come to wisely investigate into the intentions of the political parties before believing their election manifesto or common minimum programmes .The minority and majority communities will have to stand firmly against the wickedness of the Politician
Welfare provisions as laid down in Articles 15 , 16 and other articles of Indian Constitution have been misused in the name of minorities / castes in Hindu and backward classes. But the religious minorities and backward classes have been pushed further into economic and social backwardness inspite of so much concern shown by the politicians on the paper. The National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, came into force on May 17, 1992. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Parsies were notified by government of India on 23-10-1993 as minorities The NCM Act 1992 does not specify which religion or religious community is a minority community. It also does not lay down any criteria for identification of minority communities. As per Sub-section (c) of Section 2 of this Act the community notified has to be notified by the Central Government. So far Central governments have tried to take un due advantage of this discretion for vote bank game plans. The actions of the politicians have rather divided even the Hindu community in more castes and sects..
The religion based politics of course has been used even by Congress party more after 1970 under the cover of secularism. The Hindu Muslim Sikh Isaaee slogan has been rather used very cunningly to separate the Hindu Muslim Sikh Isaee from each other by those who vociferously claim to be the savior of SECULARISM . Rather this slogan has more been used to separate Hindu from the other three. Many Sikh today believe that Hindu and Sikh are not same and appear forgetting that Shri Guru Govind Singh Jee had cultivated the Khalsa to protect the Hindu. The saviors of secularism have succeeded in cultivating divisive ideologies even amongst different sects and castes of the Hindu faith..
FIRST National Minorities Commission ( NMC) in its First meeting held on 17th December 1996 had recommended that the Jain community be recognised as a minority community. Dr.Tahir Mahmood ( Chairman NMC ) while talking to media on 25-11-98 had stated that :::"So far, the Government of India has been content with national level minorities only. We ( NMC ) have come out with the concept of State-level Minorities and have virtually recognised Hindus as a minority entitled to invoke our ( NMC ) jurisdiction in the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and the Union territories of Lakshadweepa and Chandigarh." NMC in April 1999 recommended to the Union Home Minister to accord State level minority status to the Hindus in J & K and some other States. Such like advices have also been made by the High Courts and Apex Court. Though identification of minorities does not fall with in the scope of NMC as per the NMC Act of 1992 but still the observations of the NMC should not have been ignored by GOI for identification of minority communities region or state wise
After UPA Government was formed in 2002, in the GUIDELINES for implementation of ( UPA) Prime Minister´s New 15 Point Welfare Programme for Minorities it was laid down that in States, where one of the minority communities notified under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 is, in fact, in majority at State level , the earmarking of physical/financial targets under different schemes for benefit for minorities will be only for the other notified minorities. Such states have been mentioned as J & K, Punjab, Meghalaya , Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland and union territory of Lakshadweep. It means that Christians in Mizoram will not get the benefits as notified minority in Mizoram and the benefits / assistance will be given to only other four ie. Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) . Similarly Muslims in J&K were not to get the benefits as notified minority and the benefits / assistance will be given to only other four ie. Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) . The same way Sikhs in Punjab were not to get the benefits . And ofcourse same should have been the case with Buddhists in Sikkim and Christians in states like Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya. But the unfair political motives the Congress lead UPA leadership were exposed when Government of India offered 20000 high value scholarships for 2007-08 in the field of technical / professional education for the minorities . In Punjab (where Sikh though form the Majority) 1540 minority scholarships out of total scholarships 1615 for Punjab were allocated to Sikh students. In J&K where Muslims form the majority 717 minority scholarships out of quota of 753 for J&K were allocated to Muslims. In Christian majority states of Meghalaya ( 172 to Christians out of 182 ), Mizoram ( 82 to Christians out of 91 ) and Nagaland (189 to Christians out of 193 total ) same was the case. This made students of professional colleges in Jammu to agitate. No correction has been made till date . Even PM 15 point programme was ignored.The saviours of secularism rather appear using communal cards for building their vote bank. Such actions create communal ill feelings in the innocent youth. Such approach would surely cause damage to the integrity of Indian nation.
The Congress PDP coalition Government in J&K too had announced a common minimum programme and CMP ( 2002 ) mentioned at point 30 that : - (i) all the three regions of the State have got religious minorities which face special problems (ii)The J&K Government shall give full protection to the minorities and safeguard their rights... (iii) a Minority Commission will be constituted in J&K to look after the interests of minority communities. It was reported in April 2008 that an exercise had been done by J&K Government ( Congress lead Congress PDP alliance ) for setting up a J&K Commission for Minorities. BUT SO STRANAGELY it was also reported that Kashmiri Pundits may also be notified as a religious minority along with five other religious minorities (Muslims, Sikh, Christian, Parsi , Buddhist ) notified by GOI in 1993. Although no notification has been issued notifying Kashmiri Pundits as religious minority in J&K by J&K Government so far , but no denial of the press reporting regarding proposals for notifying Kashmiri Pundits as religious minority too was issued by the Congress lead Government . A simple question could be raised : Did Congress mean that Kashmiri Pundits are not HINDU ? And in case Kashmiri Pundits are to be included as a sect or segment of Hindus then there are many other sects amongst Hindu who could fall under Minority category. This way in J&K the Khajuria Pundits (Purohit Brahmins ) too could be considered for Minority Status. The National Minority Commission too had ( so illogically ) resolved on 9.3.2000 that Kashmiri Pandits should be declared a minority community at the National level by the Central Government . This speaks of the irrational working of even the NMC As a community there is nothing wrong in case the Pundits have worked to make use of the NMC recommendations ( though unfair ) for obtaining some benefits . This recommendation was conveyed to the Union Government on 01.05.2000. But before this ( 1996/1998) the same National Minority Commission had also recommended that (i) Jain Community should be also declared as National Minority by GOI and ( ii) the Hindu should be notified as religious minority in states / UTs like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland , Lakshadweepa and Chandigarh. But no action was taken by GOI. Proposals to declare Kashmiri Pundits as national level religious minority are enough to expose the irrational mind of the political leaders. Kashmiri pundits should not become a party to it, since a PUNDIT is one who guides the Crown to the betterment of the subjects of a Country as whole.
Man Mohan Singh has been given to hold the rein for another five years. Ofcourse this time with more hope and strength. Will Man Mohan Singh immediately implement atleast his 2002 Minister´s New 15 Point Welfare Programme for Minorities ?
( Daya Sagar is social activist and Sr. Coloumnists on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)