| Al Jazeera, Oct 14, 2008 |
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India’s prime minister has said that increased religious and ethnic tensions are threatening the country’s social stability and blamed those “encouraging” hatred and violence. “There are clashes between Hindus, Christians, Muslims and tribal groups. An atmosphere of hatred and violence is being artificially generated. There are forces deliberately encouraging such tendencies,” Manmohan Singh said on Monday. Against a backdrop of religious unrest in eastern Orissa and tribal clashes in southern Karnataka, Singh said the violence threatened India’s proud “inheritance” of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-caste society. “Perhaps the most disturbing and dangerous aspect today is the assault on our composite culture … we see fault-lines developing between, and among, communities,” he told a conference of chief state ministers in the capital, New Delhi. In August, at least 35 people were killed in Orissa after the death of a hardline Hindu priest and four of his followers sparked violence between Hindus and Christians. Indian Maoists claimed responsibility for killing Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, saying he was forcing tribal people to reconvert to Hinduism. They also claimed that the state government had “made it look like Christian groups [were] responsible for the attack”. But Hindu hardline groups rejected the Maoist claim, saying Saraswati opposed conversions to Christianity and his elimination could only benefit Christian missionaries active in the area. In India’s northeastern Assam state, 50 people were killed in clashes between Muslim migrants and tribal groups earlier this month. Curfew imposed
The prime minister’s warning came as police imposed a curfew in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh two days after the latest clash between Muslims and Hindus which left three people dead.The country has also been rocked by a series of bomb blasts targeting major cities this year which killed more than 100 people killed. A home-grown Islamic group, the Indian Mujahideen, claimed responsibility for the attacks in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and New Delhi, saying they were in revenge for attacks on Muslims across India. Singh said in his speech that “there can be no compromise with terrorism, and terrorists have to be dealt with firmly”. “We need to meet today’s mindless violence with the requisite amount of force but must also ensure that this is tempered by reason and justice which is the normal order of governance,” he added. India, which is majority Hindu with a large Muslim minority, is officially secular. |
Tags: Assam, hatred and violence, Hindu hardline groups, Hindu Muslim clashes, India, Karnataka, Muslim migrants, Muslim minority of India, Orissa, PM Manmohan Singh, religious and ethnic tensions
Peace and Justice Post 
October 15, 2008 at 9:21 am |
To: ALL INDIANS
Employees’ unions of government banks in India have been going on all-India strikes frequently. They have already brought Indian economy to standstill five times in the past 7 weeks.
Now, the State Bank of India employees want to go on an indefinite strike from 2008 October 20. SBI is the biggest bank in India that disburses all government salaries and pensions, and finances all the major enterprises in India. The strike will cause a daily loss of Rs 700 bn to the public apart from causing unimaginable hardship to millions of small businessmen and pensioners.
The employees are not with the strikers emotionally, but they fear union bullying; and are forced to strike. The Union leaders want the PSBs weakened so that private new generation banks might prosper. Frequent whimsical strike calls are aimed at bringing PSBs down to reduce them to mere shell companies bereft of funds and public trust.
In the interest of India’s public sector and the banking public, we request the unions to desist from going on more strikes. Do not pursue this treasonous course of action and weaken your country’s economy further in these times of global economic disaster! We appeal to your patriotism.
Please sign the Petitions at petitiononline.com/ANTIBANK/petition.html
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October 15, 2008 at 6:19 pm |
But what has your patriotic appeal against the banks’ strike in India to do with the above article?
Comments should deal with any issues raised in an article, and not about unrelated matters such as in the present case.
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