US Senators’ so Called Concern about “Tolerance Level in India”

Is it not like Pot calling Kettle black?

by N.S.Venkataraman

( February 29, 2016, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is reported that 8 US senators and 26 members of US House of Representatives have raised grave concerns about “ increasing intolerance and violence experienced by members of religious minority communities in India “.

Obviously, the above lawmakers in US have made such statement without studying the facts and ground realities in India and probably have reacted based on some reports provided to them by someone or the other. Holding the position as senators and members of U S House of Representatives, they ought to have been more responsible and more careful before issuing such statements.

Conditions in the US no better:

In recent times, we have repeatedly seen incidents in U S the members of minority community such as Hindus and particularly Sikhs being attacked, and even killed by some extremist groups. Feelings of hatred against Muslims are also whipped up in the US though the large number of Muslims living in U S do not hold any extremist views and they are loyal to the US, the country to which they have migrated willingly. On seeing such isolated incidents, nobody can say that U S has become an intolerant country.

Violent attacks on the blacks by the whites and by the whites and the blacks are not uncommon in U S though not frequent. The conflict between blacks and whites have always been talked about in U S though the government in the US do not make any distinctions between blacks and whites in its policies and laws. Can we accuse the whites in U S of being hostile to the blacks or vice versa because some stray elements speak and act against one race and colour or the other.

What is particularly surprising is that no one in U S seem to have disapproved the above negative statement of some US senators and members of U S House of Representatives, about such avoidable statements that unfairly tarnish the image of India and the people of India.

Under the circumstances, one cannot but suspect that the above senators and the members of the U S House of Representatives have some motivations. One wish that they have no such motivations but are only ill-informed and careless.

India is a tolerant country:

There are around more than 1.2 billion people living in India belonging to various religions, different castes in the same religion, speaking different languages, having a different type of skin colour and facial features, with a different socio-economic background. Millions of Indians belonging to different religions live in harmony and peace as neighbours without any animosity.

In Sabarimala temple in southern India, where millions of devotees visit every year, there is a mosque by the side of the Hindu temple and the Hindus who go to the Sabarimala temple visit the mosque also. In the same way, many Hindus visit the Velankanni church in Tamil Nadu every year during the annual festival .Many other similar examples can be readily given.

Just like U S, some isolated incidents take place in India and unfortunately, the section of media and political parties blow such incidents out of proportion and give huge negative publicity.

The fact is that whenever such incidents take place, police force act immediately, arrests the culprit and law take its own course.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been deploring and disapproving such activities at every opportunity and has made it very clear that his governance is oriented towards peace and happiness for all without making any difference between different people on the religious or economic basis.

Need to highlight the positives to defeat the negatives:

It is particularly shocking that some senators and members of U S House of Representatives, elected for the job by the enlightened citizens of US do not understand the basic facts that representatives of the people should be balanced in taking a view on any matter and should study matter in depth before arriving at conclusions and issuing statements.

Ever since the world was born, there have always been negatives and positives and the fight for civilization is the fight to overcome the negatives by the positives.

By highlighting some isolated incidents in India that are totally disproportional to the size and complexity of the country, the above lawmakers in U S have not only blackened their face but also caused serious doubts about the wisdom and pragmatic outlook of an average lawmaker in the US.