Forgetting Minorities Rights Day is NOT Good Governance

Submitted by TwoCircles.net on 22 December 2014 - 8:59pm

By Shah Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,

Ever since Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of India, the right wing groups including the RSS and those affiliated with the RSS are ruling the roost…not a single day goes by without a provocative statement from the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and other right wing fringe groups that threatens the secular fabric of the country.

The RSS which by and large was talking about 'Modi's development Agenda' before 2014 elections is now back to its usual business - declaring this secular country as 'Hindu Rastra', the Ram Mandhir chant and dictating terms to the government particularly to the HRD ministry. The likes of RSS ideologues Deenanath Batra are calling the shots and deciding what our kids should learn at schools.

At every given point, there is an attempt to fulfill the saffron agenda, be it 'Guru Utsav', Sanskrit Week or observing 'Good Governance Day' on the Birthday of Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajypee and the founder of Hindu Mahasabha Leader Madan Mohan Malviya which falls on Christmas. This comes at a time when the Agra 'Forced conversion' controversy in raging and the Modi-led BJP government is facing swirling attack from the opposition.

The pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the Forced Conversion Row and various other controversies linked to the RSS backed fringe groups. The Prime Minister is adamant…though he has projected himself as a man who stands for development; the stoic silence of Prime Minister in condemning the right wing groups up front appears that all that has been said for so long are nothing but mere words.

The Nation wants to know!! What is Prime Minsiter's take on these reckless comments made by the right wing groups and what is Prime Minister Assurance to the minority community?

Oops!! Wait a Minute…

Did I use the word 'Minority'??? Yes!! That reminds me of something that the Prime Minister of India has forgotten to do…

The Prime Minister of India never forgets to greet the people of this country or the world on important occasions. So much so, that On December 19 2014 he did not forget to greet his Jewish friends a 'Happy Hanukkah' – a Jewish festival, that too in English and Hebrew.

But what did the Prime Minister Miss??????

Mr. Prime Minister, we the minorities of the country would like to remind you that, December 18 has been declared as the 'Minorities rights day'.
This is what the UN declaration says according to the National Minority Commissions website:

"UN Declaration of 18th December 1992

In order to strengthen the cause of the minorities, the United Nations promulgated the "Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities" on 18th December 1992 proclaiming that:

"States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity." http://ncm.nic.in/un_declaration.html

A random look at both the verified twitter handles used by Prime Minister of India https://twitter.com/PMOIndia https://twitter.com/narendramodi reveals that there is not even a single tweet on Prime Minister wishing the people of this country on 'Minorities Rights Day'. In fact the Prime Minister has wished the people of Goa on the "Goa liberation day". One wonders if this was deliberate!!

If this is how the Prime Minister responded on "Minorities Rights Day"… But Wait a minute there is more!!!

The Minority affairs Minister Najma Hepatullah had just wished the people as a matter of fact…

The MoS Minority Affairs and the most aggressive minority face of the BJP Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi dint even bother to tweet. https://twitter.com/naqvimukhtarMay be he was defending the RSS and the BJP in the Rajya Sabha on Forced Conversions row.

As a ritual, an advertisement was released in the national dailies reminding the people that it was 'Minority Rights day' with the blown up image of Prime Minister and the Minority Affairs Ministers.

After coming under criticism over several issues including that of Forced Conversions, Good Governance Day that has led to a massive logjam in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP's senior Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says undue importance is given to these issues.

The question still remains – How about giving some importance and doing something to protect the rights of Minorities in the country?