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An Appeal to Hindu Leaders, Activists and Concerned Citizens
Subject:
Hindu Leaders and BJP must fight
for i) Freeing Temples from Govt. Control; and, ii) non-discriminatory universal
educational policy.
Aadarniya
Hindu Leaders;
Aadarniya BJP
Leaders;
Activists
and Concerned Citizens:
The friends, well wishers and supporters of BJP
were deeply disappointed but not completely surprised by the party’s dismal
performance in the recent elections. One of the central reasons for that kind of
an outcome has been BJP’s inability to stand by its promise to the nation and
failure to do anything substantive for the Hindu majority constituting its core
support system. To regain its strength and organizational invincibility the
party must present a new face of its energized leadership and aggressive public
posture. It must plunge in to action and forcefully compel the Govt. to change
its outdated and unproductive policies that have immensely hurt
India.
We suggest that the party should launch its crusade among other issues on two
highly important demands: a) autonomy of
Hindu temples denied even in BJP ruled states in violation of the Constitution;
and, b) equal opportunity in education by pressing for an amendment to the
Article 30 and making it equally applicable to all Indians.
1) Autonomy of
Temples:
BJP in its April, 2009 manifesto promised to "ensure
autonomous administration of Maths and Mandirs. These institutions have been the
heart and hub of dharmic and cultural life and traditions of Indian society.
Huge properties were offered to Maths and Mandirs by society for running their
religio-cultural activities and service projects for the benefit of all."
(Attachment A).
In Karnataka, a division bench of the High Court comprising
of Justice R Gururajan and Justice C R Kumaraswamy struck down the endowment Act
stating that the legislation violated Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution
which provided for right to equality, freedom of conscience and freedom of
profession, practice and propagation of religion and also the freedom to manage
the religious affairs.
However, regrettably the BJP run state governments, just
like Congress regimes in other states, flouting the Constitution and the pledge
made in the party manifesto remained unwilling to restore the autonomy of
temples. We rushed a memo to Mr. Yeddyurappa, the Chief Minister of Karnataka in
May, 2008 congratulating him on the successful election and reminded him of the
promise regarding -- i) the autonomy of temples; ii) We also requested that the
judge Rama Jois report and his recommendations on temple autonomy be made
public, but to no avail (Ref. 1)
There prevails a public perception of massive corruption in temple management.
This perception is further strengthened by the absence of transparency in the
governance of temples by states. It is ironic that state governments
conveniently take over temples on the pretext of mismanagement yet their own
bureaucracy runs them in utmost secrecy without community oversight or public
audit. Such transparency, public scrutiny and participation by public
representatives are fundamentally important for maintaining corruption free
administration.
Only dharma Acharyas and saints have the
necessary religious and spiritual background and competence to guide religious
shrines. The
official grounds for imposing state control upon the Hindu religion have been as
much illegal and illogical as they are irrational. The imposition of such
control in a selective manner upon the Hindu temples only and the absence of its
universal application upon all religions expose the mockery and corrupt vote
bank mindset imbedded in this policy.
The Govt. seems to speak from both sides of its mouth. On the one hand
it claims to believe in “freedom of religion” and on the other it is milking
Hinduism and its institutions, temples and their landed estates included, to
fund its operations and at the same time provide funding to “predatory
religions” for expanding their operations and domain with the objective of
eating away Hindu constituencies. Is this not the same policy that was used in
India by the Muslim invaders
and Western imperialists?
2) The people of India cannot but notice with dismay that Sonia-
Singh regime's religion based preferential scholarship scheme as also
reservations effectively rejects the concept of a democratic secular society -
Under this scheme: a) The poor upper class Hindus, outside the SC and ST
reservations - sometimes called the Unreserved class - who form 50% or more of
the population do not get even a single "paisa" ; b) Muslims and Christians,
the main beneficiaries of this Govt. sanctioned loot get huge support, like the
Colonial rulers over Hindu India used to do ; and, c) the SCs and STs with
Constitutional safeguards comparatively get a pittance. Such Govt. strategy only
defeats the very purpose of universal education. Depriving any community from
resources and assistance for education in comparison to preferred religious
communities is
a crime against the Indian nation.
3) UPA Govt.'s discriminatory, anti- Hindu
religion based policy on educational support:
the scheduled caste students in India have been receiving lump sum grant as
ANNUAL educational aid at the rate of Rs.140/- for lower primary level, Rs.220/-
for upper primary level and Rs.330/- for the high school level. But the newly
introduced plan of scholarships for minority students has elevated this support
system to Rs.10, 000/- per year limited to two students in a family whose annual
income is less than one lakh rupees. In fact, the Paloly Mohammed Committee
report went one more step forward and based on its recommendations, Muslim
girls shall receive scholarship of Rs.3000/- at degree level, Rs.4000/- at post
graduate level and Rs.5000/- for professional courses. Additionally, the Muslim
girls shall receive stipend while preparing for competitive exams.
This irrational and communal policy causes
non-Muslim and discriminated girls to pay the price for being Hindus. It is hard
to find any logical reasoning as to why the Govt. has become an instrument of
deprivation for Hindu students?
In case of higher education for MBBS,
PG and Research, The SC/ST students must get 60% marks and are allowed Rs. 3960
per year (Rs 330/ per month), but the religion based minorities need to have
only 50% marks and the degree, PG students get Rs 6550/ per year while the
M.Phil, Ph. D, students get Rs 35,100/ on yearly basis ( Ref 2). Except the need
to feed the corrupt vote bank politics no body has ever satisfactorily justified
the presence of this “law of the jungle”.
4) Other
discriminations against students for being Hindu
– The Hindu students get loans at much higher interest
rates i.e., 12 to 14 per cent per annum but minority students get student loan
at 3 percent per annum from the National Minority Development & Finance
Corporation. This constitutes yet another financial disincentive for
being a part of the Hindu family. If there is any desire of nation building in
India on the basis of equality the proponents of this discriminatory policy
promoting inequality in the ranks of our young generation must be sent packing.
In this way the Govt. is not becoming an agent of progress and prosperity but an
agency shifting poverty from one segment of population to the other.
In the field of commercial ventures
to start a new business
Hindu youth get
loans from commercial banks at 15 to 18 per cent interest rates
and have to
arrange ‘margin money’ of 15 to 40 per cent of the project cost from their
private sources, balance comes from the bank. But minority youth have to put in
only 5 per cent of project cost as margin money from their private source, other
35 percent is given by the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation
at 3 percent interest, and remaining 60 percent of finance is given by
commercial banks at two percentage points less than general lending rate for
Hindus. Why this step motherly treatment for Hindu students? They should not
have to suffer financial penalties for being Hindus.
5) Equal Opportunity in Education:
Article 30, which allows minorities to
establish and run educational institutions, must be amended to end
discrimination against majority Hindus :
In part III of the Constitution under "Fundamental Rights - Cultural and
Educational Rights",
Article 30(1) specifies: " All minorities, whether based on
religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer
educational institutions of their choice." Now, after sixty years of
independence, it is essential that this Article be amended so as to end
discrimination and extend its applicability to Hindus as well. Such an expansion
will make this provision universal and secular in its character and help the
cause of spreading education.
The principle of "equal opportunity"
should be applied as strictly in the educational field as it is applied in job
and employment markets.
Universal nature of education policy is fundamental to India's political unity,
economic progress and prosperity.
It is also a catalyst for human development,
improving ones quality of life, economic development and above all political
stability and democracy.
No Govt. worth its salt can ignore that education is a human
right as proclaimed in Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(1948). Its availability on unequal basis constitutes a stark violation of this
provision.
6) BJP must think how to re-gain Hindu
votes?
Whether in Govt. or not, BJP must speak for Hindus loudly and clearly
without any reservation. As ruling party during 1999- 2004, it increased
the Hajj subsidy from about Rs 62 crores annually to over 200 crores, promised
during the 2004 election cycle to appoint two lakh Muslims to teach Urdu in
Bihar. Violating the spirit and trust of its core constituency BJP: a) approved
the construction of the Ram Sethu canal project without giving a hoot about the
Hindu sentiments and damaging a historic monument; b) furthermore, it did
literally nothing for the lakhs of Hindu refugees from India's own Kashmir who
have been living in squalor; and, c) the party did not take up the very vital
issues like the 'Temple autonomy' and 'equal opportunity in education' etc.
All reasonable people recognizes that the
controversial issues like building the Ayodhya temple, annulment of Article 370
and establishing a Uniform Civil Code are relatively hard to achieve demands
under the current political environment.
Therefore, why not take up the urgent yet achievable
issues important to the majority community
and candidly explain to the secularist critics and the media that Hindus too
have a right for their fair share in all walks of life – the Hindus who have
suffered over centuries and continue suffering even after independence? This
cycle of discrimination, deprivation and step motherly treatment must end.
The confusion over the interpretation of "Hindutva"
in the ranks of BJP is harmful.
Instead of defining it as "cultural nationalism" -- an abstract statement, why
can’t it be defined as our ancient culture of tolerance, understanding and equal
treatment for all irrespective of their faith, caste and color? "India first"
should remain the central theme of this concept. Such an all inclusive
interpretation could be universally acceptable. The diehard critics could be
reminded of the treatment of Hindu minorities in neighboring Islamic countries
and even in India's own Muslim dominated Kashmir (Ref 3).
7) Dear friends and concerned Citizens :
Abandoning the vital issues important to the majority
community with intent to look secular and appease minorities has created an
impression of BJP being timid and pseudo Hindu and has definitely not improved
its electoral fortune. For re-gaining the trust and confidence of the Indian electorate there
is urgent need for you to launch a relentless campaign for restoration of the
constitutional rights of Hindus as India’s national majority and vehemently
reject all attempts treating them as second class citizens.
To accomplish these laudable goals the following plan of
action is suggested:
a) " Freedom for all religions";
i) Launch a strong campaign for unshackling Hindu
religious infrastructure from the unconstitutional Govt. control across India;
and, ii) demand the immediate formation of Interim Advisory Hindu Councils for
oversight of the Endowment departments till de-nationalization is complete;
b) "Equal
opportunity in Education" :
The party should spearhead a crusade for providing equal opportunity for all
students from poor families,
as against the Sonia- Singh regime's preferential scholarships to Muslim
students, while the so called 'upper caste students' with meager economic means
are denied any support whatsoever. There must be equal opportunity in financial
assistance to all poor students irrespective of religion. The poor students from
the unclassified categories must also be treated at par; and,
c)
Let the party
become Leader and an instrument of a vigorous Campaign to make the Constitution
equitable by:
1) amending
the Concurrent List to stop its abuse by the state
authorities for
taking over temples and their estates, resulting in financial suffocation,
mismanagement, manipulation and demolition of the Hindu religious
infrastructure; and, 2)
amending Article 30 that is discriminatory
and disallows establishment of Hindu Educational Institutions to help provide
education for the poor, by barring them from getting the needed financial
benefits as allowed to the minority institutions. This Article is also socially
divisive as it encourages organizations and communities to drop from the Hindu
ranks as attempted by Rama Krishna Mission and lately the Jain community. It
also encourages conversion to other divisive and predatory faiths which
senselessly enjoy the officially recognized minority status.
Politics is the Art of Kshatriyas (Shri
Aurobinbo) :
Those who aspire to rule a billion people must train themselves to
be Kshatriyas and take up the arduous work of public service and exposition of a
national vision year round - rather than showing up at election time. Now it
should be obvious that it is not magic slogans or campaign by celebrities
but continuous representation and service of the community that would enthuse
and get them support from the workers and electorate.
Thanks for your time
Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan Bhatnagar
Hindu Jagran Forum (USA)
July 21, 2009
Ref 1)
Karnataka: Congrats CM Yeddyurappa: Please
Liberate Hindu temples .....(June
11, 2008) --http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Ref 2)
Equal Opportunity in Education - for All
Poor Children : an Election Issue....(Feb
23, 2009) --
http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Ref 3)
J& K - Hon'ble CM : Massive destruction
of temples in J&K and Talibanization of the state (Feb.
21, 2008) --
http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Attachment A
BJP to free Temples from Government Control
April 3, /2009
06:52:17
Haindavakeralam.com
The Election Manifesto released today by BJP stresses on an important aspect and
long time demand of Hindu devotees - To free Hindu temples from the clutches of
Secular politicians.
Manifesto States
The BJP shall ensure autonomous administration of Maths and Mandirs.These
institutions have been the heart and hub of dharmic and cultural life and
traditions of Indian society. Huge properties were offered to Maths and Mandirs
by society for running their religio-cultural activities and service projects
for the benefit of all.
The management of such institutions should be freed from Government control and
handed over to autonomous bodies constituted by the followers and devotees of
those seats. Necessary legal framework will be provided for this purpose.
All dharmic activities will be considered as ‘charity’ with appropriate tax
incentives. A special cell will be created to make dharmic organisations’
interface with government agencies hassle-free.
A National Mission for beautifying and improving the infrastructure and
amenities at pilgrimage centres of all faiths will be launched.
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=8503&SKIN=B
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