Needless ire

Diplomatic etiquette bars nations from commenting on the internal affairs of other countries. It is for this reason that the critical com...

Diplomatic etiquette bars nations from commenting on the internal affairs of other countries. It is for this reason that the critical comments some Western nations and Pakistan have made on the attacks on Christians in Gujarat are unwelcome. Of course, the incidents in Gujarat are disturbing as they sought to undermine the secular character of the State. But before the situation could reach unmanageable levels, the democratic system was at work forcing the Prime Minister to make a trip to the affected areas.

It is also a tribute to the efficacy of the system that the Gujarat government had no option but to transfer the erring district officials and even cooperate with the Minorities Commission in its investigation. All this would not have been possible but for the assertion of public opinion, which was decidedly against the mischief-makers. It speaks volumes for the secular credentials of the majority of the people that the strongest defence of the Christians came from the Hindus themselves.

And it camewithout any prodding from any quarter. It was the innate strength of the pluralist Indian society that had manifested itself. Thus, minor complaints aside, the Christian community does not suffer from any persecution complex. They know that their fate is intertwined with that of democracy, secularism and the rule of law.

Seen against this backdrop the Western reaction is unwarranted in that Gujarat is no Bosnia. Nor is the fate of the Gujarat Christians similar to that of the Kurds in Iraq, the Ahmediyas in Pakistan or the Buddhists in China. Rather, such interference goes against the interests of the community they supposedly protect as had been underscored in the aftermath of the demolition at Ayodhya.

The tears some foreign powers shed over the demolition made little difference to the fortunes of the Muslims, who realised that at the end of the day what mattered to them was the determination of the state authorities to uphold the rule of law and nothing else. The security of the minorities isthreatened only when this determination is compromised. By no stretch of the imagination can it be claimed that Gujarat represents such a compromise.

Certainly, Christians can do without their so-called patrons in the West crying themselves hoarse in their support, just as the country can manage quite well without such unsolicited advice.

All this does not, however, mean that the country should go overboard in its response to western reaction. While consultations between the Home Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry to evolve a balanced response to these developments, is in order, it needs to be stressed that a confident nation does not behave in a hysterical manner. Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee8217;s decision to cancel his stopover at Bonn en route to the G-15 Summit in Jamaica in protest against Germany8217;s comments on Gujarat does not show the government in a good light.

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He could have utilised the opportunity to tell the Germans how ill-founded their fears were on the condition of the minorities inIndia. After all, even Germany has its problems, as the isolated attacks on the Turks by the neo-Nazis testify to. If India were to highlight and adversely comment on this, how would Germany respond? Ultimately, what matters is not how shrill the nation is in its reaction but how truthful it is in its claims. Gujarat should not have affected Vajpayee8217;s itinerary.