JEDDAH, 12 May 2003 — A reputable Indian journalist and parliamentarian, Kuldip Nayyar, has stated that Muslims in India are very much in the country’s mainstream. “No Indian Muslim has been reported fighting with the Afghan Mujahedeen or Kashmiri fighters despite calls for jihad,” he pointed out.
Addressing a reception organized by the Assembly for Guidance, Education and Service (AGES), a cultural organization of Indian expatriates from Kerala, he condemned the move by some quarters to spread communal hatred in the country. “Trident distribution is illegal and must be stopped,” he declared.
Nayyar also deplored the growing problem of corruption in India. “Some 40 years ago, we could count corrupt people on our fingers. Now we can count the honest ones on our fingers.”
He said the withdrawal of domicile regulation on Rajya Sabha membership would pave the way for buying votes in order for politicians who fail to win democratic elections to gain access to the upper house.
“This defeats the purpose of an upper house and thereby negates the basic structure of our constitution and should be questioned in the Supreme Court,” a press statement by AGES quoted Nayyar as saying.
He said politicians in both ruling and opposition parties are now involved in hawala — illegal money transaction — cases. “No political party is an exception when it comes to corruption or to including criminals in their ranks,” he added.
While the Supreme Court wants politicians running for office to declare their assets, history of criminal proceedings and educational background, the government is opposed.
“Now to prosecute a government official at joint secretary level, government approval is a must. This is to protect the ‘yes’ men,” he said.