New Delhi, January 11
The
entreaties of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to put
matters in perspective before the NRIs and PIOs about safeguarding the
interests of minorities failed to evoke a positive response from the
organisers of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
The NCM firmly believes
that the Atal Behari Vajpayee government has lost a great opportunity in
removing the genuine misgivings of the NRIs and PIOs in protecting the
interests of minorities following last year’s carnage in Godhra and
subsequent communal clashes in Gujarat.
Highly placed sources in the
NCM disclosed that the Commission should have specially been given time
to address the Indian diaspora as the unsavoury and blood-curdling
incidents in Gujarat in February and March last year has left a deep
impact on the minds of those settled abroad.
They emphasised: “this
is a burning issue in the minds of the Indian diaspora as evidenced at
the three-day conference. Even though a quasi-judicial body, the NCM is
vested with powers in the larger interest of maintaining communal amity
and harmony.
“The NCM has repeatedly intervened in a potentially
charged situation and brought matters under control. If the NCM had been
given time to put things in a proper perspective, it would have
contributed in boosting the confidence of the Indian diaspora,” the
sources said.
They pointed out that but for the invitation to the NCM
for the inauguration of the maiden NRI/PIO conference on January 9,
their efforts to convince Indian Diaspora Committee Chairman L. M.
Singhvi or the Ministry of External Affairs that the commission should
have an interface with the assemblage from 60 countries remained an
exercise in futility.
It is evident the manner in which the NCM was
shortchanged in this regard has left a few red faced in the Commission.
At the same time, the issue of ensuring the protection of the
minorities had been raised with Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home
Minister L. K. Advani by the NRIs/PIOs. Mr Advani reaffirmed that India
had always been and would remain a secular entity and could never become
a theocratic state.
Apparently, the chant of Hindutva since the BJP’s
landslide victory in the Gujarat Assembly elections in December has been
a matter for concern for the NRIs/PIOs.
Significantly, when Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modi sought Foreign Direct Investment (FDS) when
he spoke at the Pravasi conference here today, doubts were raised by
some NRIs/PIOs about the general law and order situation as the Godhra
carnage kept cropping up.
While Mr Modi agreed with the suggestion that
all communities should be protected in the country, he regretted that
there were still some persons trying to tarnish the image of Gujarat.
Nevertheless, he claimed that Gujarat was an attractive investment
destination.
He said his government had evolved a panchamrit yojana
with focus on five core sectors. He listed these as education, water,
energy, human resources and safety and security of people.
