NATIONAL POLITICS

Iqbal R. Ansari

On Sangh Parivar's Programme in U.P.

The organizations representing Hindu resurgence have restarted the orchestrated process of teaching Muslims a lesson for their supposed historical sins. What they are currently engaged in at Kashi and Mathura must be viewed in the context of (which) Swami Sakshi Maharaj, MP (BJP) from Mathura, in an interview to The Hindustan Times (Jan 24, 1993) said: "Ayodhya was the test case when the Muslims did not agree to our terms (in Ayodhya) we took it forcefully. Today, there is a Hindu wave and if the Muslims do not understand, honor and accept this, then we will do in Mathura and Kashi what we did in Ayodhya." He admitted with a sense of pride that they demolished the Babari Masjid. In a similar vein was the declaration made by Swami Vam Dev, President of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Manch that Mathura and Kashi were very much on their agenda (The Hindustan Times, Jan 29, 1993).

It was reassuring to minorities to note that the (then) Minister for Internal Security, Mr. Rajesh Pilot, recalled his duty to uphold the specially enacted law providing protection to all places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947. But it needs to be noted that during the last two and a half years not a single case has been filed under this Act to prosecute those like Sri Sakshi Maharaj who have all along been threatening to change the status of the mosques at Kashi and Mathura.

Those in power may not consider it their duty to go beyond selective firefighting, but enlightened citizens and voluntary groups must realize that the debacle of December 6, 1992 at Ayodhya not only exposed the sinister designs of communal forces but it more glaringly exposed the fragile and unreliable State system of law enforcement.

All political parties and voluntary organizations committed to the rule of law and those who are tendering apology to Muslims on Ayodhya under political compulsions must awaken themselves to the reality that no steps have been taken in this direction all these years. On the one hand, studies reveal communal biases of significant sections of the civil servants and the police, (as recently testified by Praful Bidwai and V. Rai) and on the other hand the whole district and police machinery functions not to impartially enforce law but to implement the Government's policies which are based on cynical calculations in terms of power.

Crisis Management should not be confined to heavy deployment of security forces at the Mathura and Kashi shrines. Such police bundobust is generally organized a lathe Raj, which on occasions becomes counterproductive. If instead of allowing the situation to reach the crisis point, all hate-mongers are brought to book under applicable laws, the message will be effectively communicated that political and administrative authority mean business.

The most important component of impartial and effective law-enforcement during the coming months will be clear and consistent policy statement, backed by action, making the district and police officials responsible for keeping peace and maintaining law and order, failure of which should bring accountability.

The Government needs also to launch an information the Information and Publicity Departments to counter and education campaign through radio and television and rumor and prejudiced perceptions against minorities in general and on specific issues which are aggravating communal divide and tension. For example, the honorable agreement reached between the Idgah and Krishna Janmabhoomi Committees of Mathura in 1968 never to reopen the issue needs to be widely publicized. It is in this area that public spirited citizens and voluntary groups can play a significant role. People of all sections should also be made to realize that they individually and the country as a whole have stakes in communal peace. Immediate preventive and punitive measures along with the reform of the system will not only help save the skins of the weak and vulnerable sections.

Muslim community leaders would do well to restrain from organizing any march or rally which will aggravate the situation. They should continue making common cause with secular democratic forces and demand impartial law-enforcement. They may also. attempt building-up better inter-community relations in the socio-cultural domain which space is not yet dominated by aggressive.

(Source: The Hindu)

Kautilya on Corruption

Kautiya did not think corruption was immoral. He prescribed only fines for it. He thought people in Government would always be corrupt, "Just as it is impossible not to taste the honey or the poison that finds itself at the tip of the tongue, so it is impossible for a Government servant not to eat up at least a bit of the kin revenue", he wrote.