Sept.-October 2011 
Year 18    No.160
Saffronwatch


Poison pen

Citizens complain to the Press Council of India against an article by
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy that foments communal enmity

To the Chairman,

Press Council of India, New Delhi

We would like to bring to your attention an article published in DNA, dated July 16, 2011, by Dr Subramanian Swamy, titled ‘How to wipe out Islamic terror’. The piece was published three days after the Mumbai bomb blasts.

We believe that the piece violates the Press Council guidelines on communal issues, issued in 2010, specially:

i) “News, views or comments relating to communal or religious disputes/clashes shall be published after proper verification of facts and presented with due caution and restraint in a manner which is conducive to the creation of an atmosphere congenial to communal harmony, amity and peace… writing about the incident in a style which is likely to inflame passions, aggravate the tension, or accentuate the strained relations between the communities/religious groups concerned, or which has a potential to exacerbate the trouble, shall be avoided.”

ii) “Journalists and columnists owe a very special responsibility to their country in promoting communal peace and amity. Their writings are not a mere reflection of their own feelings but help to a large extent in moulding the feelings and sentiments of society at large. It is therefore of utmost importance that they use their pen with circumspection and restraint.”.

iii) “…a heavy responsibility devolves on the author of opinion articles. The author has to ensure that not only are his or her analyses free from any personal preferences, prejudices or notions but also they are based on verified, accurate and established facts and do not tend to foment disharmony or enmity between castes, communities and races.”

At a sensitive time like this, Dr Swamy’s diatribe can only serve to inflame passions against an entire community. In the wake of angry rejoinders to the article, the editor of DNA wrote that Dr Swamy’s views were published in the “spirit of not denying space to different points of view”. But a point of view expressed in terms that constitute an offence under the Indian Penal Code, Section 153A (promoting communal enmity), scarcely deserved space in a responsible newspaper.

We request the Press Council to please examine the matter and take appropriate action.

August 6, 2011

1. Sukla Sen, peace activist, Mumbai; 2. Daniel Mazagaonkar, Sarvodaya activist, Mumbai; 3. Ammu Joseph, senior journalist, Bangalore; 4. Suhasini Ali, trade union leader, Kanpur; 5. Manisha Sethi, Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, Delhi; 6. Dhirendra Sharma, Centre for Science Policy; 7. Rohini Hensman, researcher and human rights activist, Mumbai; 8. Ajay Shaw, poet, Mumbai; 9. Kamayani Bali Mahabal, human rights activist, Mumbai; 10. Kaveri Rajaraman, postdoc researcher, IISC, Bangalore; 11. Vrijendra, human rights activist, Mumbai; 12. S. Seshan, teacher, Mumbai; 13. Sumathi Sudhakar, children’s writer and publisher, Chennai; 14. Jyoti Punwani, journalist, Mumbai; 15. MA Siraj, journalist, Bangalore; 16. Md Ali, journalist, Delhi; 17. Saurav Datta, advocate and law lecturer, Mumbai; 18. AJ Jawad, advocate, Madras; 19. Zafarullah Khan, advocate, Chennai; 20. Ajit Eapen, human rights activist, Mumbai; 21. Dr Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed, Chennai; 22. Anil Bhatia, former banker, Mumbai; 23. Ghulam Mohiyuddin, secular activist; 24. Shahidur Rashid Talukdar, USA; 25. Shrikumar Poddar, NRISAHI (Non-Resident Indians for a Secular and Harmonious India); 26. George Abraham, NRISAHI; 27. Mohammad Imran, NRISAHI; 28. Armana Ishaque, NRISAHI; 29. Md Mansoor Khan, business hirer, Secunderabad; 30. Musab Iqbal, journalist, New Delhi

How to wipe out Islamic terror

BY SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY

The terrorist blast in Mumbai on July 13, 2011 requires decisive soul-searching by the Hindus of India. Hindus cannot accept to be killed in this halal fashion, continuously bleeding every day till the nation finally collapses. Terrorism, I define here, as the illegal use of force to overawe the civilian population to make it do or not do an act against its will and well-being.

Islamic terrorism is India’s number one problem of national security. About this there will be no doubt after 2012. By that year I expect a Taliban takeover in Pakistan and the Americans to flee Afghanistan. Then Islam will confront Hinduism to “complete unfinished business”. Already the successor to Osama bin Laden as al-Qaeda leader has declared that India is the priority target for that terrorist organisation, and not the USA.

Fanatic Muslims consider Hindu-dominated India “an unfinished chapter of Islamic conquests”. All other countries conquered by Islam 100 per cent converted to Islam within two decades of the Islamic invasion. Undivided India in 1947 was 75 per cent Hindu even after 800 years of brutal Islamic rule. That is jarring for the fanatics.

In one sense, I do not blame the Muslim fanatics for targeting Hindus. I blame Hindus who have taken their individuality, permitted in Sanatan Dharma (the eternal religion), to the extreme. Millions of Hindus can assemble without state patronage for the Kumbh Mela, completely self-organised, but they all leave for home oblivious of the targeting of Hindus in Kashmir, Mau, Melvisharam and Malappuram and do not lift their little finger to help organise Hindus. If half the Hindus voted together, rising above caste and language, a genuine Hindu party would have a two-thirds majority in Parliament and the assemblies.

The first lesson to be learnt from the recent history of Islamic terrorism against India and for tackling terrorism in India is that the Hindu is the target and that Muslims of India are being programmed by a slow reactive process to become radical and thus slide into suicide against Hindus. It is to undermine the Hindu psyche and create the fear of civil war that terror attacks are organised.

Hindus must collectively respond as Hindus against the terrorist and not feel individually isolated or worse, be complacent because he or she is not personally affected. If one Hindu dies merely because he or she was a Hindu then a bit of every Hindu also dies. This is an essential mental attitude, a necessary part of a virat (committed) Hindu.

We need a collective mindset as Hindus to stand against the Islamic terrorist. The Muslims of India can join us if they genuinely feel for the Hindu. That they do I will not believe unless they acknowledge with pride that though they may be Muslims, their ancestors were Hindus. If any Muslim acknowledges his or her Hindu legacy then we Hindus can accept him or her as a part of the brihad Hindu samaj (greater Hindu society) which is Hindustan. India that is Bharat that is Hindustan is a nation of Hindus and others whose ancestors were Hindus. Others, who refuse to acknowledge this, or those foreigners who become Indian citizens by registration, can remain in India but should not have voting rights (which means they cannot be elected representatives).

Any policy to combat terrorism must begin with requiring each and every Hindu becoming a virat Hindu. For this, one must have a Hindu mindset that recognises that there is vyaktigat charitra (personal character) and rashtriya charitra (national character). For example, Manmohan Singh has high personal character but by being a rubber stamp of a semi-literate Sonia Gandhi and waffling on all national issues, he has proved that he has no rashtriya charitra.

The second lesson for combating terrorism is that we must never capitulate or concede any demand as we did in 1989 (freeing five terrorists in exchange for Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya) and in 1999, freeing three terrorists after the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814.

The third lesson is that whatever and however small the terrorist incident, the nation must retaliate massively. For example, when the Ayodhya temple was sought to be attacked, we should have retaliated by rebuilding the Ram temple at the site.

According to bleeding heart liberals, terrorists are born or bred because of illiteracy, poverty, oppression and discrimination. They argue that instead of eliminating them, the root cause of these four disabilities in society should be removed. This is rubbish. Osama bin Laden was a billionaire. In the failed Times Square episode, failed terrorist Shahzad was from a highly placed family in Pakistan and had an MBA from a reputed US university.

It is also a ridiculous idea that terrorists cannot be deterred because they are irrational and willing to die. Terrorist masterminds have political goals and a method in their madness. An effective strategy to deter terrorism is to defeat those political goals and to rubbish them by counterterrorist action. Thus I advocate the following strategy to negate the political goals of Islamic terrorism in India.

Goal 1: Overawe India on Kashmir.

Strategy: Remove Article 370 and resettle ex-servicemen in the valley. Create Panun Kashmir for the Hindu Pandit community. Look for or create an opportunity to take over PoK. If Pakistan continues to back terrorists, assist the Balochis and Sindhis to get their independence.

Goal 2: Blast temples, kill Hindu devotees.

Strategy: Remove the masjid in Kashi Vishwanath temple and the 300 masjids at other temple sites.

Goal 3: Turn India into Dar ul-Islam.

Strategy: Implement the uniform civil code, make learning of Sanskrit and singing of Vande Mataram mandatory and declare India a Hindu Rashtra in which non-Hindus can vote only if they proudly acknowledge that their ancestors were Hindus. Rename India Hindustan as a nation of Hindus and those whose ancestors were Hindus.

Goal 4: Change India’s demography by illegal immigration, conversion and refusal to adopt family planning.

Strategy: Enact a national law prohibiting conversion from Hinduism to any other religion. Reconversion will not be banned. Declare that caste is not based on birth but on code or discipline. Welcome non-Hindus to reconvert to the caste of their choice provided they adhere to the code of discipline. Annex land from Bangladesh in proportion to the illegal migrants from that country staying in India. At present the northern third from Sylhet to Khulna can be annexed to resettle illegal migrants.

Goal 5: Denigrate Hinduism through vulgar writings and preaching in mosques, madrassas and churches to create loss of self-respect amongst Hindus and make them fit for capitulation.

Strategy: Propagate the development of a Hindu mindset.

India can solve its terrorist problem within five years by such a deterrent strategy but for that we have to learn the four lessons outlined above and have a Hindu mindset to take bold, risky and hard decisions to defend the nation. If the Jews could be transformed from lambs walking meekly to the gas chambers to fiery lions in just 10 years, it should not be difficult for Hindus in much better circumstances (after all, we are 83 per cent of India) to do so in five years.

Guru Gobind Singh showed us how just five fearless persons under spiritual guidance can transform a society. Even if half the Hindu voters are persuaded to collectively vote as Hindus, and for a party sincerely committed to a Hindu agenda, then we can forge an instrument for change. And that is the bottom line in the strategy to deter terrorism in a democratic Hindustan at this moment of truth. n

(The writer is president of the Janata Party, a former union minister and a professor of economics.)

DNA, July 16, 2011; www.dnaindia.com


[ Subscribe | Contact Us | Archives | Khoj | Aman ]
[ Letter to editor  ]

Copyrights © 2002, Sabrang Communications & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.