The document discusses issues related to Dalits, minorities, and secularism in India. It notes that while India's constitution treats citizens well, problems still remain. The condition of Dalits, tribals, women, and minorities is still pitiable. A CPI-M letter notes the condition of Dalits has worsened, and laws meant to protect them are not fully implemented. The document also discusses concerns about religious freedom for minorities in India raised in a USCIRF report, and calls for the government to adhere to principles of secularism and equal treatment of all faiths.

1. A
rchitect of modern
India and our first
Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
observed once that
an empire or a
dynasty collapses not because of
the weaknesses of its army but its
inner social contradictions . In
simple words, it would mean
howsoever militarily strong a
nation might be, it would not last
long if it did not treat its own
citizens fairly .
I feel the contemporary
political command in India needs
to keep this Nehruvian message
of caution in its mind constantly.
Constitutionally, India today is
much better than most of the
other nations in the world in
treating its citizens. But all is not
well. Due to the lack of
governance, the predicament of
the masses in the country
remains pitiable even after more
than six decades of our
Independence . ( Realpolitik, May
2015) . The tribals, Dalits, women
and minorities are in a bad
shape.
Authentic studies indicate that
lakhs of Adivasi families have
been displaced, turned into
migrants or, at best, into daily
contract labourers in mines that
have destroyed their forests,
lands and water. Although
certain individual elements
among the Dalits have gone up
the political, bureaucratic and
economic ladder, caste still
remains an institution of
oppression and social
discrimination.
The Dalit scenario finds its best
depiction in a recent letter
written by new General Secretary
of the CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury to
Union Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Venkaiah Naidu . The
Yechury letter (May 8, 2015)
reads : “The condition of Dalits
has worsened during the course
of the last two decades. Even
while the practice of
untouchability and different
forms of violence against
Scheduled Caste communities
takes place, the conviction rate of
people accused in such cases
continues to be low. Laws such as
the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act need to be
strengthened and fully
implemented. The Manual
Scavengers Act is also yet to be
implemented. “
The letter adds , “Large
sections of Dalits in rural India
are landless workers without
assets. There is a huge backlog in
filling up reserved posts.
Development schemes lie
unimplemented. Dalit Christians
and Muslims have been denied
Justice to Dalits still a
far cry !
Constitutionally, India today is much better than most of the other nations in
the world in treating its citizens . But all is not well. The predicament of the
tribals, Dalits, women and minorities is still pitiable. Our ruling elites cannot
afford to ignore this state of affairs if they really wish India to emerge as a
great, strong nation, contends Jagdish N Singh
Power Politics June 201538
REALPOLITIK
Architect of modern India and
first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru : The state must address
its inner contradictions .
CPI-M chief Sitaram Yechuri :
The condition of Dalits worse.

2. June 2015 Power Politics 39
REALPOLITIK
All is not well in secular India in
regard to the freedom of religion
too . Our Constitution guarantees
this right to all its citizens,
irrespective their caste, creed or
faith . But what happened to
certain minorities in Kashmir,
Punjab, Delhi , Gujarat and other
places in the past hardly needs to
be repeated . This says a lot about
the lack of proper governance in
our country.
According to the U.S.
Commission on International
Religious Freedom report (1999 ),
“animosities within and between
religious communities in India
have roots that are centuries old,
and these tensions – at times
exacerbated by poverty, class and
ethnic differences — have
erupted into periodic violence
throughout the country’s 51-year
history.”
The Commission’s annual
report ( 2015) states that
“incidents of religiously-
motivated and communal
violence reportedly have
increased for three consecutive
years.” It says religious freedom
and minorities’ condition in India
was far from being satisfactory
under the previous regime too
but has further aggravated since
the advent of the present political
dispensation.
The 2015 report says , “Since
the last election religious minority
communities have been subjected
to derogatory comments by
politicians linked to the ruling
party… Christian communities,
across many denominations,
report an increase of harassment
and violence in the last year.” It
has raised concerns over certain
“Hindu nationalist groups for
programmes of forced
conversion, ghar wapasi, church
attacks and hate campaign
against Muslims.
Objectively speaking , the
USCIRF report on India is not
totally devoid of substance.
Secularism constitutes the basic
character of our Constitution .
The government has to see to it
that it is not tampered with . We
have to honour the United
Nations Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of
Intolerance and Discrimination
Based on Religion or Belief ( 1981)
and Declaration on the Rights of
Minorities (1992). Former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has
often stressed rajdharma-- that
is the duty of the rulers to be fair
to followers of all faiths. This has
to be adhered to by the rulers of
the day .
Rajdharam calling !
Former Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee: Adhere to
Rajdharma .
Catching Dawood Ibrahim
I wonder what exactly New
Delhi’s policy has been towards
the terrorists who spread hatred
and violence across the country .
It is no secret that Dawood
Ibrahim is one of India's most
wanted for the 1993 blasts in
Mumbai that killed over 300. He
is number eight on the list of 50
most wanted terrorists India
handed over to Pakistan in 2011.
New Delhi has given Islamabad
the evidence of his involvement
in the Mumbai blasts. India has
submitted several dossiers in
‘proof’ that he lives on Clifton
Road in Karachi . Dawood has also
been on the Interpol’s most
wanted list and the US list of
global terrorists. The United
Nations Security Council too has
issued special notice against him.
But New Delhi has virtually taken
no action to catch Dawood and
others , including Daood’s right
hand Chhota Shakil, Tiber Ibrahim
Memon, 1999 Indian plane
hijacker Shahid Akhtar.
Ironically, a section of the
current government pretends not
to be aware of the presence of
Dawood in Karachi. Minister of
State for Home Affairs Haribhai
recognition as Scheduled Castes,
and are consequently excluded
from benefits to which
Scheduled Castes are entitled,
in addition to existing quotas.”
Will our ruling elites sit up and
take appropriate steps to foster
the development of all these
sections of our society ? Can the
India the founding fathers of our
Constitution dreamt afford their
alienation from the mainstream?

3. An uncertain project
Are New Delhi and Tehran
getting closer ? Knowledgeable
sources say the meeting between
Minister for Transport and Urban
Development of Iran Abbas Ahmad
Akhoundi and Union Road
Transport and Highways Minister
Nitin Gadkari was very meaningful
last month. They signed an inter-
Governmental Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) regarding
India’s participation in the
development of the Chabahar Port
in Iran. With the signing of this
MoU, Indian and Iranian
commercial entities will be in a
position to commence negotiations
towards finalisation of a
commercial contract. Under that
Indian firms will lease two existing
berths at the port and
operationalise them as container
and multi-purpose cargo
terminals.
The sources add the Chabahar
project would be highly beneficial
to India. The distance between
Chabahar and Gujarat is less than
Delhi and Mumbai. Located close
to the strategic Persian Gulf ,
Chabahar project would impart a
strategic leverage to India in its
access to Afghanistan and to the
energy-rich Central Asia bypassing
Pakistan. It would cut down transit
time by a third . India has invested
over $2 billion in Afghanistan.
It plans to link the Chabahar
port with the Zaranj-Delaram
road India built in Afghanistan
opening alternative access to
sea port for Afghanistan’s
connectivity to regional and global
markets.
However, the future of the
whole project seems to be
uncertain. The Chabahar deal has
long been pending due to the
current US-led sanctions against
Iran. Recently American
Ambassador to India Richard
Verma has cautioned against
“rushing in” with investments . He
has said the nuclear deal being
negotiated is not final. There is
need “to maintain the international
solidarity that has brought this
hard fought diplomatic victory ( the
recent nuclear deal between Iran
and P 5 plus one ).” American
Under- Secretary of State for
Political Affairs Wendy Sherman
has warned to every nation that
imports oil and wants business
with Iran , “ Hold your horses until
the deal is signed.”
Choudhary told Parliament last
month that he was unaware of the
whereabouts of the accused. He
said, "The subject has not been
located so far. Extradition process
with regard to Dawood Ibrahim
would be initiated once the
subject is located."
All credible nations deal sternly
with the enemies of their citizens
. The United States, the United
Kindom, France , Russia and China
have throughout been very harsh
to terrorists in their respective
regions. They don’t let the
terrorists escape their territories
and organize crimes from abroad
. The United States even went all
the way to raid the location of
Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad
and had him eliminated. New
Delhi, too, can be tough on the
issue .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has been talking of his
government as one of action .
Recently , his Home Minister
Rajnath Singh has told the Lok
Sabha that New Delhi has credible
information that the underworld
don is in Pakistan. He has said
that Pakistan has failed to take
any action against Dawood or
track him down even after "all
documents and overwhelming
proof of his presence" there have
been given by India. He has
declared, “Whether we have to
pursue Pakistan or put pressure,
we will not rest until we get
Dawood Ibrahim back." Will the
Modi government show guts to
take on Daood and the gang ?
Let’s see
American Under- Secretary of
State for Political Affairs Wendy
Sherman : Hold your horses until
the deal is signed.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh :
We will not rest until we get
Dawood Ibrahim back.
Power Politics June 201540
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