Media’s Dalit fixation

LETTER TO NEWS INDIA TIMES, NEW YORK                        

                                                                                                                    May 18, 2013
Dear Editor,

On behalf of the Indian American Intellectual Forum and its entire national and international constituency I want to convey that we are appalled upon using purposely a divisive and mischievous title “Dalit Leader Named Chief Minister of Karnataka” (News India Times, dated May 16th) by your reporter. We are convinced that this title is politically motivated, mean, mendacious, malicious and a diabolical attempt designed to create a wedge in Hindu society and fragmentize it to the advantage of the establishment.

If your reporter was interested in igniting a new class warfare based on societal divisions that previously existed in the Indian and Hindu society in all fairness he should not have ignored the appointment and placement of the selective minority individuals by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi in highly sensitive positions in the government in office. Trampling upon the sentiments of the majority of Indians she has quietly handed over most crucial and extremely important portfolios to her pet individuals from Muslims and Christians communities. Here are some examples.

Salman Khurshid, Foreign Minister of India; E. Ahmad, India’s Minister for External Affairs; Syed Akbarddin, the spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs; Chief of Intelligence Bureau, Syed Asif Ibrahim; Chief Justice of India, Altmas Kabir; Attorney General of India, Goolam E. Vahanvati; Vice President of India Mohammed Hameed Ansari; Health Minister Gulam Nabi Aza;, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, K. Rahman Khan, Sonia Gandhi’s political Advisor Ahmad Patel all are Muslims. Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, S.Y. Qureshi was also a Muslim.

Isn’t it ironic that your reporter while reporting about these pet individuals of Sonia Gandhi  never identified them as Muslims, Sunnis, Shiias or Christians. Can it be an inadvertent error?

Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, Defense Minister A.K. Anthony, Air Chief Marshall Norman Anil Kumar Browne all are Christians. However, strangely enough their identification is never made by referring to their religion or Jati. Could it also be a mistake?

The Dalits, as is universally acknowledged, are an integral part of the Hindu Samaj. Quietly and constructively Hindu society has been at work for bringing about social reformation so that  justice and equality become  a part of every body  including those who for one or the other reason have thus far been denied such rights.  Included in the scheme of this massive transformation are those who were classified as unprivileged. We are determined to make equality,  justice,  national unity and patriotism four central pillars of Indian’s modern civilization. Alas! your reporter failed to recognize these characteristics in the New Indian Society. Clearly your reporter’s intention smacks of mala-fide intention. We have not seen any news report loudly proclaiming that Sonia and Rahul are Catholic Christians, and that Salman Khurshid, Altmas Kabir and all others mentioned above are Muslims.

A doubt has crept in our minds that some anti-Hindu Communists, communalists and far left guys entrenched in top most positions in Media are deliberately sowing the seeds of disintegration and conflict in Hindu Samaj. They twist and craft their items in such a way as to serve their sinister and evil designs.

We firmly believe that your reporter has done a great disservice to his profession and more importantly to Hindu Samaj. It is incomprehensible as to what on earth prompted him to damage Hindu Society. Instead of drafting and highlighting his news item negatively the reporter could have done a great service to his profession by staying on facts, projecting positivity and by helping the ongoing efforts by millions of Hindu volunteers towards unification and revitalization of the entire Hindu Society.

Narain Kataria
IAIF President

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