That the Indians have joined the protests against the killing of Floyd and the elephant is certainly justified and praiseworthy. But can a simple question be humbly asked --- "Why aren't Indians uttering even a murmur to condemn the brutal killing of Ambika Patel in Uttar Pradesh" just a few days ago! Just for daring to have a relationship with a woman from "upper caste", the OBC Ambika could be casually tied to a tree and burnt alive! Why don't Indian hearts bleed when innumerable of their very own citizens get similarly murdered in the name of caste religion "family honour" or "Gomata"!
We should protest against killing of elephants or racist bruteness in the USA; but along with it, shouldn't we ponder a bit about blatant violation of rights and dignity of fellow human beings and fellow citizens in our own land!
The Indians, protesting against USA racism, should also try to remember another aspect.
Racism is almost an universal phenomenon; somewhere it is subtle, somewhere right at the face. So hardly any country or even any region in any heterogeneous country can boast that it dwells above racism! So before "criminalising" and criticising the USA, it must also be remembered that perhaps it is the most liberal country in the world since centuries enabling people from all over the globe to settle there for livelihood! And this very truth points out the fact that USA is not entirely racist always looking forward to torture and kill the Black! Else Barack Obama would not have succeeded in getting nominated as Presidential candidate and also would not have got elected twice through the votes of common Americans that perhaps included the Whites also!
Barack Hussein Obama took birth with the "wrong" colour! His father originally hailed from a "wrong" religion who also arrived in the USA as a student from a "wrong" country of a "wrong" continent! Later his father returned to Kenya. Yet neither Obama's colour nor his father's religious ethnic national or geographical credentials posed any hurdle on the path of his Presidency!
Now let's see the contrast in India!
Sonia Gandhi is a full-fledged Indian citizen whose right over this country is not a bit lesser than any hardcore Bhakt and who holds every right to become the Prime Minister of India just like Narendra Modi or Manmohan Singh! Yet by referring to her Italian origin; so much hue and cry was raised by the "liberal nationalists" of India compelling her to withdraw herself from the most important chair in 2004! Even her son Rahul, a full-fledged Indian citizen through birth and despite being son/grandson of ex-PMs of India, gets religiously taunted, mocked and abused as "Italian" by saffronites and their supporters!
And prior to the last phase of 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls, a very high profile leader went to the town by claiming that "Congress and Pakistan have conspired to make Ahmed Patel the Chief Minister of Gujarat"! What was the actual background! Manishankar Aiyar, a former diplomat and Congressman, arranged a private dinner with close friends and among the sea of guests also featured Manmohan Singh and a retired Pakistani diplomat as a friend of Aiyar! This simple incident got interpreted as a "conspiracy" hatched by Congress and Pakistan to install Patel as Gujarat Chief minister! Apart from such filthy politics targeting the Congress, why so special stress on Patel's "Chief ministership"! Isn't Ahmed Patel a Gujarati as well as Indian! So by which logic can the projected "Chief ministership" of Patel be posed as an "alarm bell" of sorts! Are Muslims not fit to be regarded as Indians in a secular democratic country of all! Can't Muslims be elected/nominated as Chief minister in an Indian state! If the manufactured "truth" of a Muslim's "upcoming" "Chief ministership" in a mere state of India can be called into question and brute tactics of polarisation gets initiated on communal basis; it can be easily concluded campaign of what nasty proportion can get initiated if a Muslim actually reaches the threshold of Prime ministership of India!
So before tarnishing the USA in absolute racist colour, Indians should at first learn to look at their own backyard and introspect whether we are absolutely free from racism,communalism and how we treat the vulnerable people of certain communities or castes!
(The views expressed in the article are the writer's own)
