Danger ahead for Minorities, Let us unite and face them

Sardar Master Tara Singh with B.Shyam Sunder at Nanded in Maharashtra Sinister and subtle plans are afoot to ensure that the next generation of the minorities will have no group-consciousness left as regards the religion, language, culture history, traditional background and importance as minorities. Sikhs, AngloIndians and Parses can survive this threat; but the Scheduled Castes, Muslims and Indian Christians may suffer an irreparable loss, if they are not vigilant and alert. They will be assimilated and absorbed beyond recognition and turned into pariahs. B. Shyam Sunder Published by H.Shreyesker President Mool Bharati B.Shyam Sunder Memorial Society B.Shyam Sunder Marg Gulbarga-585105 (Karnatak ) e-mail shreyesker@gmail.com

Danger ahead for Minorities, Let us unite and face them B.Shyam Sunder

I am forwarding the accompanying note for favour of your consideration and comments and shall be grateful if you kindly have it circulated amongst your friends for group discussion also. I have been having informal talks with certain leaders of minorities particularly M.Ps and M.L.As on the need for a federation and have found their reaction favourable and encouraging. When Master Tara Singh visited the Nanded Gurudwara a few years ago, this idea received his blessings at a public meeting convened to welcome him. It will strengthen the hands of minority leader, if they place this proposal before their respective organisations for their support. Infact, public meetings may be convened jointly on behalf of all minority organisations to educate the masses on two immediate and pressing problems viz., the coming census and the coming elections. Minority leaders have got to be on guard before and during the census. Two dangers are facing them; the illiterate and unorganised members of the minority communities can easily be misled into putting their thumb impressions on incorrect entries; or they may themselves give incorrect information without understanding the serious implications of doing so. Trained volunteers will have to go about explaining to the minorities their duties and responsibilities with regard to the impending census. Sinister and subtle plans are afoot to ensure that the next generation of the minorities will have no group-consciousness left as regards their religion, language, culture, history, traditional background and importance as minorities. Sikhs, Anglo-Indians and Parses can survive this threat; but the Scheduled Castes, Muslims and Indian Christians may suffer an irreparable loss, if they are not vigilant and alert. They will be assimilated and absorbed beyond recognition and turned into pariahs. Census of 1961 is, therefore, an important operation in fact, it is a question of life and death for them. The other question of importance is the quality and quantum of their representation now reduced to a farce in the councils of the nations. We must organise ourselves into a federation long before the coming elections. Scheduled - Castes, Muslims, Indian Christians, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians and Parsees. Those who prefer to suffer in isolation may be requested, at least to furnish data to show how their community has fared since the 15th of August 1947.

The minorities should understand clearly that separate communal organisations will cut no ice. Besides, they may work at cross-purposes and engender mutual jealousies. A federation of all the minorities is the need of the hour. This alone may be able to check the tyranny of numbers. The proposed federation will dull the edge of communalism, scrutinize grievances

before they are put up and exercise sobering influences on the reckless enthusiasm of the hotheads. It would lend strength. To its constituents and provide them with a truly secular platform for giving battle to the nonsecular tendencies of the ruling Junta No Opposition need be apprehended: There is no reason to suppose that this move will clash with any of the existing political organisation viz., the Congress, and during the discussions following the offer of the Cabinet Mission, agreed to provide specific and forth right safeguards to the minorities. It was only when partition was agreed to that the proposed safeguards were given an ago-by. The turmoil and confusion of those hectic days and the excitement of the newly won freedom prevented the Indian minorities from raising the question as to why the agreed safeguards were withdrawn. Instead, pious declarations of secularism and fundamental rights were incorporated in the new Constitution: with what results, the minorities know to their cost. The experience of the past ten years must have depressed even the optimistic Pandit Nehru, who now stands convinced that his ideal of how people should behave and how things should be managed is still a far-off cry. The Congress High Command or the leaders of the Socialist, Communist and Swatantra Parties cannot refuse to help, if the case for the minorities is placed before them on humanitarian, ethical and psychological grounds. Responsibilities of the federation: The federation will grant affiliation to linguistic and cultural groups as well. Its main task, however, should be to preach and propagate secularism and expose cases of non-secular behavior. No responsible body has yet undertaken this task on a nation-wide scale. The Central and State Governments are expected to encourage this wholesome and essential activity, both morally and financially. The federation should take all possible steps to ensure that minority communities or groups do not suffer in the matter of education, culture, religion, languages, means of livelihood, equal opportunities for progress and representation in the councils and services of the nation. Though these things are guaranteed on paper, they are being denied to the Minorities in actual practice. Hence the need for the proposed federation, details of which may be worked out at length. There is no time to be lost, as the elections are near at hand and the federation may have to play a decisive role therein. The alternative before the Minorities are :-Federate or face a lingering death Your Comrade- in - arms B. Shyam Sunder

B. Shyam Sunder
B.A.LL.B.MLA

101Moghalpura Hyderabad Deccan Date 16th Aug.1965

Dear friend, Convictions growing among all Minorities that their best safe guard is to form a federation and press their grievances and demands collectively. Experience during the last fourteen years has shown that when any single minority tries to give vent to its pent-up feelings. Its voice is suppressed and the request ignored on the high-sounding pretext that any demand put up by citizens professing one faith (other than Hinduism) is bound to be communal and, therefore, anti-national. The best reply to this strange reasoning would be for the minorities to joining secular federation of their own and speak with one voice.

Political parties have so far failed to protect the minorities because, dominated as they are by the majority community, it is impossible for them to be non partition when the grievance relates to the victims of the minority itself. Those of us who had expected that the national integration committee would provide some panacea for the many ills of the minorities are now deeply disappointed and sore about it. The idea of a federation has been before the public for quite some time. There have been informal discussions, both in public and in private, with regard to its need, expediency and utility. The conclusions may be summed up thus:
A By carrying on a relentless fight against the non-secular tendency of the governing class and the administration, the federation might help in the creation of a secular mentality. It will also serve as an effective antidote to the proverbial tyranny of numbers.

B The federation will neutralise communalism because it belongs to no single minority. In fact by the very nature of its composition, it will be in a position to take an objective view of each minoritys grievances and demands, and after adjusting them in the over-all context of the countrys progress, push up the case with the combined strength of all minorities. C The main object of the federation should be to undertake a nation-wide educative campaign in favour of secularism. Its other objects would be to watch and ensure that:I. II. The rights guaranteed to all citizens in the constitution are not denied to the minorities in actual practise: Minorities are not discriminated against in matters to elections, recruitment for civil and military appointments admissions to educational and technical institutions, grant of licenses, permits, contracts and other opportunities of earning a livelihood, and Cases of non- secular behaviour or the administration or the courts of law of otherwise brought to light.

III.

IV.

Articles 29 and 30 of the constitution of India (part III) are implemented in letters as well as in spirit so far as the minorities are concerned.

(a) A top-ranking committee should be elected to draft the constitution and manifest of the federation and take steps for its inauguration. It is now proposed to convene a meeting in Bombay by about the last week of October to deliberate over the matter at length, to elect a committee and to set up a small office for taking further action. A list of invitees, prepared after necessary consultation and forethought, is enclosed. If any change or addition is considered essential, you are earnestly requested to communicate your views early to enable invitations being issued in the first week of October, details as regard the exact date and venue of the meeting will be communicated to you subsequently from Bombay.

Thanking you and expecting an early reply, Yours fraternally,

B.Shyam Sunder

B. Shyam Sunder
B.A.LL.B. MLA

101,Moghulapura Hyderabad-Deccan Date 7th June 1961

Respected Masterji, The news that you propose to go on hunger strike until the creation of a Punjabi suba has creted deep consternation among all Indian Minorities. Their fear is that when the Congress can behave as callously towards the Sikhs the pride of Indias defence forces what regard can they have for the needs and grievances of other minorities. Your announcement has given a fillip to the move for the early formation of the proposed federation. I hope my previous pamphlets and booklets on this very subject have reached you. I an enclosing them again for favour of your perusal. Now is the time when you can rally round all the minorities under one banner for the protection of their common interests. I wish you could write to Doctor Saifuddin Kichler to join this move on behalf of the Muslims, who are today drifting leaderless and without any organisation. The Scheduled Castes, Christians, Muslims, Parsees, Anglo-Indians, Adivaasis and Nagas would all love to work with you. I have also sent my literature to Justice Sardar Gurnam Singh, Sardar Harbans Singh Gujral and Sardar Gopal singh Kaumi. If you like, I shall snd a few dozen copies to your address for favour of distribution among important leaders of the Akali Dal. I am anxious to meet you to discuss certain things. I shall be much obliged, if you kindly let me know when and where I can see you. With best regards and wishing success in your heroic fight against the pettymindedness of the majority community

Yours respectfully B.Shyam Sunder To Shri Master Tara Singh

B. Shyam Sunder,
B A., LL.B, M.L.A.

101 Moghulpura Hyderabad Deccan.

My Dear Doctor Fareedi I am much obliged to you for your letter which reached me after my return from a tour of my constituency. I have received no reply from Moulana Hafz Rahman. He must be very busy. As you are aware, I am working with a group which is firmly of the opinion that the future of the minorities is safe only if they form a federation and tackle their common grievances collectively. This federation would be an antidote to the tyranny of the majority and bring them down to Terra Firma from their pedestal high up in the skies. I am glad to tell you that more and more organizations of minorities are veering round to this view. They have begun to see that however modest their demands and how so ever rational their basis, this majority community has developed a very convenient technique of condemning those demands as communal. The Federation will challenge this pretext and expose the communalism of the majority community. Very shortly requests will be made to All India Organisations representing Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Scheduled Castes, Anglo-Indians and Parsis to depute two or three of their representatives to a meeting of minority leaders. The venue and the dates will be intimated latter. This is to request you, as President of the Muslim Convention, to place my letter before your working committee and, if it agrees to elect or nominate six delegates to the meeting. On hearing from you, invitations will be issued in their names. Besides delegates nominated by the concerned organizations, a few leading personalities form among the minorities will also be invited. I shall be most grateful if you kindly sponsor this invitation on my behalf and let me know its result.

With regards

B.Shyam Sunder

CATHOLIC UNION OF INDIA

President A SOARES KCES MA LLB General Secretary EDWARD Dr.SOUZA Tel: 67097

BELVEDERE CHAMBERS Bombay 71 Dated 2 nd Aug 1961

Dear Sir Further to my letter of last week. I am enclosing herewith the copy of letter dated the 24/25th July 1961 received by Mr, Soares from Mr. Frank Anthony, MP, Presidentin-charge of the All India Anglo-Indian Association, Bombay life building, Connaught Circus, New Delhi, regard to the federation of Minorities organization, for your information and records. Your faithfully Sd/HON GEN SECRETARY

To Shri B.Shyam Sunder MLA 101 moghulpura, Hydeerabad, Deccan Andhra Pradesh