O Hindu Parents! O Students! Wake Up, Wake Up

By OP Gupta IFS (Retd.)

Under section 3 of the National Minority Commission Act, a Hindu cannot be its Chairman and at least five of its seven members including Chairman shall have to be from amongst the minority communities.

Till recently SC Hindus were entitled to get 1500 posts out of every 10000 posts in Government and public sectors, OBC Hindus were entitled to 2700 posts and ST Hindus were entitled for 750 posts.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes headed by Congressman Shri Buta Singh also favours giving ‘reserved’ status to Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam but does not want them to be included in the 15% SC quota and wants to further reduce seats available to general class Hindus so as to create a new quota for dalit converts. (Times of India, July 14, 2007). So general category Hindus will get size of their cake further reduced if they vote for any jaichandi party in the coming election.

In January 2007 I returned to India after a gap of thirteen years and was shocked to find just the reverse trend among ‘Indian Hindus’, rather than demanding equality in all respects, which was guaranteed by the original 1950 Constitution of India, even educated Indian Hindus have been media managed to push their own children and grandchildren into second and third class status vis-à-vis minority candidates by supporting such political parties which openly declare that they will give first preference to minority candidates over Hindu candidates in matters of admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities, employment, departmental promotions, student loans, bank loans

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Right from sixties the educational, employment and economic [E3] opportunities for Hindu youngsters especially in the government sector were being reduced bit by bit by all the previous Congress Governments, pace of which has now been accelerated by the Manmohan Singh Government. And irony is that it was and is being done on the strength of those Hindus who support the Congress Party or its UPA partners or the Communist parties.

What I am saying is not imagination but hard bitter fact adversely affecting the employment opportunities of all Hindu youngsters including SC/ST, OBC and Marxist Hindus.

The Hindustan Times of December 24, 2008 (New Delhi edition) reported that in reply to a question the Parliament was informed that as a result of special efforts made by the UPA Government such the share of minorities in central sector jobs increased from 6.9 per cent in 2006-07 to 8.7 per cent in 2007-08. It increased from 7.6 per cent in 2006-07 in the financial sector (Banks, FIs, RBI) to 10.2 per cent; in the Armed Forces from 5.5 per cent to 8.9 per cent, and; in the Railways from 2.7 per cent to 6.3 per cent during the same period.

Consequently, the percentage of Hindus in the central sector declined from 93.1 per cent in 2006-07 to 91.3 per cent in 2007-08. In the financial sector Hindu percentage declined from 92.4 to 89.2, and, in the Armed Forces Hindu percentage declined from 94.5 to 91.1 in just one year.

Who is responsible for reducing percentage of Hindus in jobs? Hindu students, Hindu youth and those Hindu parents who have school and college going children and grand children must pose this question to themselves.

I served as Indian Ambassador for thirteen years (1994-2006); and, as Consul General for another five years (1980-82 and 1985-88). During this long period I found on one hand a burning desire among Hindu settlers abroad to know about their cultural heritage, about Vedas etc, and, on the other hand burning urge among them to be treated with respect and on equal footings with locals in matters of religion, education, employment, economic opportunities and application of laws.

In January 2007, I returned to India after a gap of thirteen years and was shocked to find just the reverse trend among ‘Indian Hindus’, rather than demanding equality in all respects, which was guaranteed by the original 1950 Constitution of India, even educated Indian Hindus have been media managed to push their own children and grandchildren into second and third class status vis-à-vis minority candidates by supporting such political parties which openly declare that they will give first preference to minority candidates over Hindu candidates in matters of admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities, employment, departmental promotions, student loans, bank loans etc.

I shall place before you some bare facts which show that we Hindu voters have been lacking in parental care and have contributed to reducing our own children to second class status by being careless and casual at times of voting. When I brought these facts to notice of educated Hindus most of them expressed shock on their being ignorant of these facts, and, blamed media and Hindu politicians for this betrayal.

1. Hindu students with better marks are denied admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities run by minorities, whether aided out of taxes collected from we Hindus or unaided.
   
   Hindus are generally under represented in the staff of minority institutions, and, posts of principals etc. are generally reserved for non-Hindus. For example, the rule of St Stephan’s College Delhi stipulates that a Hindu can not be its Principal and Vice Principal though it receives annual grant of crores of rupees from the government out of taxes collected from we Hindus.
   
   These institutions quote Supreme Court decisions to justify the second class treatment of Hindus in matters of admission and employment. In nut shell, the Supreme Court has ruled that Hindus do not enjoy equality rights in the minority institutions whether aided or unaided.

2. The Constitution of India (Articles 15 and 16) guarantees 15 per cent reservations for SC Hindus and 7.5 per cent reservations for ST Hindus but they are denied these constitutionally guaranteed reservations in admissions as well as in employment in minority institutions with connivance of Jaichandi Hindu politicians, who, are also known as ‘secular’ or ‘pseudo-secular’ politicians.
   
   The OBC Hindus have been given 27 per cent reservations under the Constitution in academic institutions but the Manmohan Singh Government has framed rules in such a way that OBC Hindus are denied this reservation all over India in minority institutions.
   
   Now through the Rangnath Mishra Commission the UPA Government of Manmohan Singh with help of all political parties (Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Lalu Yadav, Ram Vilash Paswan, K Karunanidhi etc) except BJP is trying to include Muslims and Christians in the SC category which will naturally reduce the size of cake available to all SC Hindu candidates in schools and colleges as well as in employment in government and public sector.
   
   Further, the Christians and Muslims enjoy higher literacy rate than SC Hindus. So if the Manmohan Singh Government succeeds to include Muslims and Christians into SC category, the SC/ST Hindus will further lose heavily in educational sector as well as in employment sector.
   
   The National Commission for Scheduled Castes headed by Congressman Shri Buta Singh also favours giving ‘reserved’ status to Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam but does not want them to be included in the 15 per cent SC quota and wants to further reduce seats available to general class Hindus so as to create a new quota for dalit converts. (Times of India, July 14, 2007). So general category Hindus will get size of their cake further reduced if they vote for any Jaichandi party in the coming election.

3. Hindu students get student loans at higher interest rate of about 12 per cent to 14 per cent per annum but minority students get student loan at 3 per cent per annum from the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation under the Union Ministry of Finance. For confirmation please visit www.nmdfc.org. This discrimination against Hindu students has been made possible by those Hindus who voted to Congress Party in previous elections.

4. Hindu youth gets loans from commercial banks to start a new business at 15 per cent to 18 per cent interest and has to arrange ‘margin money’ of 15 per cent to 40 per cent of project cost from his private sources, balance comes from the bank. But a minority youth has to put in only 5 per cent of project cost as margin money from his private source, other 35 per cent is given by the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation at 3 per cent interest, and remaining 60 per cent of finance is given by commercial banks at two percentage points less than general lending rate for Hindus.
   
   How can a Hindu youth compete in business with minority businesman?
   
   This point has to be replied by those Hindus who give their notes and votes to Congress Party or to any UPA Party. For this discrimination those Hindus are responsible who give their votes to Congress Party or to any Jaichandi Party.

5. The Manmohan Singh Government has directed that all minority students admitted to 50 top institutions of India like IIMs, IITs etc (list enclosed) will get their total fees paid by the government but Hindu students, whether leftist or rightist have to pay their fees even if they are members of the NSUI or SFI.
   
   If a minority student decides to join any coaching centre to prepare for admission into colleges or public service examinations or jobs in government and private sectors he gets total fees of coaching centre paid by the government but a Hindu student or his parent has to pay the fees of coaching centre. Details may be seen at www.minorityaffairs.gov.in
   
   As follow up of the recommendations of Sachar Committee, the UPA Government has announced lakhs of scholarships exclusively for school-going children of minorities. At pre-matric and at post-matric level a minority student will get scholarship if he has secured not less than 50 per cent marks in the previous year examination but such facility is not there for Hindu students. According to one such scheme children belonging to minorities whose parents have an annual income of Rs. 2.50 lakh are entitled to get a scholarship subject to fulfilling certain minimum conditions. But Hindu students whose parents earn even less than Rs 2,000 per month, cannot get a scholarship. Such perverse discrimination against Hindus was practiced by Aurangzeb. So, a Hindu vote to Congress Party is as good as giving vote to Aurangzeb.

6. It may come as total surprise to many Hindus that there are many posts under the government which are paid out of taxes collected from we Hindus but a Hindu howsoever liberal or Marxist he may be, he is legally debarred from holding such posts such as posts of the Chairman of National and Provincial Minority Commissions, principals of St Stephan’s Delhi (and similar minority institutions running into thousands and thousands all over India) etc.
   
   Under section 3 of the National Minority Commission Act, a Hindu can not be its Chairman and at least five of its seven members including Chairman shall have to be from amongst the minority communities. This law was enacted by PV Narasimha Rao Government.
   
   Section 4 of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act 2004 passed by the Manmohan Singh Government stipulates that only persons from minority communities shall be eligible to be appointed as Chairman and members of this Commission. Hindus have been excluded from this Commission.
   
   It is a great shame that such anti-Hindu laws were framed and passed by Hindu politicians who were elected on strength of Hindu votes.
   
   In pursuance of the 2004 Congress manifesto, on March 10, 2006, the Lok Sabha passed the National Commission for Minority Educational (Amendment) Bill according to which the provincial governments will have to give no objection certificate within 90 days of application for setting up an institution by religious minorities, or, else the government will have to specify reasons for refusal. The aggrieved party will have right to approach the Commission which, in turn, will take a final decision in consultation with the State. Composition of even this Commission is not representative to the total exclusion of Hindus and the wonder is that Hindus, howsoever secular or leftist, are debarred from being made even a member of this Commission by an Act of Parliament passed in November 2004. However, if no reasons are given by a State Government for not giving the NOC within 90 days, it would be deemed as the approval of the State. The Act also provides for the right of minority institutions to seek affiliation to any university of their choice listed in this Act. The bill was supported by all UPA partners including the Left parties, Samajwadi Party of Shri Mulayam Singh and the Bahujan Samaj Party etc. It was criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party. So, a Muslim institution in a far off place, say, Jhumari talaian in Bihar can demand affiliation to any named central university of its choice and its students will get degrees of that central university and, thus, will enjoy better marketability in the employment market whereas a Hindu student of the same region will have degree of a provincial university having less marketability in the employment market. Thus, with votes of Hindu parents, the UPA Government has placed Muslim and Christian students at higher and better pedestal in the employment market than Hindu students. Those Hindu parents in rural areas who voted for the Congress Party and its Jaichandi allies in the 2004 election have thus actually harmed the future of their own children.

7. To increase the percentage of minorities in the government sector the UPA government has ordered inclusion of minority members in all Selection Boards and Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs). Rangnath Mishra, a Congress Member of Parliament, heading a Commission has recommended reserving 15 per cent of jobs in all recruitments and promotions for minority candidates.

At present Hindus constitute over 95 per cent in all services and the Manmohan Singh Government with the help of Hindu voters is trying to reduce the Hindu percentage in government and public sector undertakings to less than 85 per cent. Size of cake for Hindus is being reduced by the Congress Party, that, too, riding on shoulders of Hindus.

Till May 2004 Hindus could theoretically compete for all 100 per cent jobs under the government but now they would compete only for 85 per cent of jobs as the size of cake has been/is going to be reduced by 15 per cent by the UPA for all categories of Hindus in terms of the Rangnath Mishra Commission whether you are a Marxist Hindu or a rightist Hindu, whether you are a communal Hindu or a secular Hindu, whether you are a SC/ST Hindu or not, whether you are an upper caste or lower caste Hindu, whether you are OBC or non-OBC Hindu, whether you are a North Indian Hindu or South Indian Hindu.

This reduction of 15 per cent shall be applicable to all categories of Hindus including SC, ST, OBC, neo-liberals and Marxists as the minorities, according to Manmohan Singh, have the first claim over the national resources, so Hindus shall have access to left overs.

Till recently SC Hindus were entitled to get 1,500 posts out of every 10,000 posts in Government and public sectors, OBC Hindus were entitled to 2,700 posts and ST Hindus were entitled for 750 posts.

The UPA Government is planning to reserve 15 per cent posts for minorities, and as Manmohan Singh has publicly asserted that minorities have first claim over government resources so SC Hindus can compete for 15 per cent of remaining 8,500 posts i.e. 1270 posts, OBC Hindus will get 27 per cent of 8500 i.e. 2,290 posts and ST Hindus will get 7.5 per cent of 8,500 i.e. 630 posts. The upper castes Hindu candidates till 2005 were eligible to compete for 5,050 posts out of 10,000 but now under Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan formula they can compete only for 4,310 seats. And wonder of wonder is that this reduction in E3 space of Hindu applicants will be achieved on strength of those Hindus who will give their notes and votes to Congress Party or to any other Jaichandi parties in the coming elections.

And another wonder of wonder is that without any protest the Manmohan Singh Government has succeeded in reducing percentage of Hindus in job sectors riding on shoulders of those Hindus who voted for Congress and other UPA parties in the 2004 general election.

Thus, it is clear that Jaichandi Hindu politicians have treacherously created such a system in which a minority is eligible to apply for each and every post paid by the State but not a Hindu. A minority student gets student loan and commercial loans at rates lower than a Hindu. A minority student with more than 50 per cent marks gets scholarship but not a Hindu student. In minority run institutions a Hindu is given stepbrotherly treatment in matters of admissions and employment but in Hindu run institutions a minority candidate has to be treated on par with Hindus and to ensure that a minority is treated on par there are national and provincial minority commissions headed by minorities.

Hindu voters have reduced themselves to second and third class status either by abstaining from voting or by voting to Jaichandi Hindu politicians.

It is high time that we Hindus, parents, students and youth wake up and do some introspection. As parents and grandparents we must pay attention to shrinking educational and employment opportunities of our own children. Let us not fail in eyes of our own children and grandchildren.

Hindu voters who do not want to harm the career prospects of their children and grandchildren should never cast their votes in favour of any Jaichandi Hindu politician as in the name of his secularism he will certainly gang up in the Parliament and in State Assemblies to ruin the career prospects of Hindu children.

Choice before a Hindu voter is very straight forward: whether a non-Hindu child should get preference over his child even if his child is more meritorious or has better CV.

Choice before a Hindu voter is: career of his child is more important or his caste.

This inequality inflicted upon Hindu youth by Jaichandi Hindu politicians can be removed only by ballot boxes so you must get yourself registered as a voter with the Election Commission of India on its website www.eci.gov.in or www.jaagore.com if you are not already registered with the Election Commission of India.

And cast your votes in favour of your own children.

[The writer retired in the rank of Secretary to the Govt of India in the Indian Foreign Service (1971 batch). He has served as Ambassador to Finland, Estonia, Jamaica, Tunisia and Tanzania etc and; as Consul General, Dubai and Birmingham (UK).]