Justice Katju's views only partially right: P Parameswaran
Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 5 : Bharateeya Vichara Kendram Director P Parameswaran today opined that Justice Markandey Katju's speech at the Institute of Parliamentary Affairs here was bound to raise many eyebrows among large sections of people in Kerala as well as the rest of India.
In a press release, he said, "It remains to be seen how the supporters of partition, especially the Muslim league, respond to the judge's prediction that within 20-25 years India and Pakistan will be reunited."
Commenting on Katju's speech here yesterday, he said, "Katju's remark that Pakistan is an artificial nation and a failed state is quite evident from the happenings in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan was born out of hatred of India and still thrives on the same basis. It is obvious that the various parts of Pakistan have only one unifying factor and that is enmity to India."
"But developments within Pakistan for the last few decades show that even this cannot be a cementing factor. Leave alone India, the Shias, Wahabis and Ahmedias within Pakistan are fiercely fighting and killing each other. The objective which All India Muslim League under Jinnah had kept in view namely an integrated Islamic nation will emerge has miserably failed to materialiSe," he said.
Muslims in Hindu majority India co-exist with the majority community in a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere, barring a few relatively minor and sporadic unfortunate incidents. Reunion between the two countries alone can bring about lasting peace in this region. Justice Katju deserves congratulations for his courageous statements.
But scholars of history will find it difficult to subscribe to his views that India is largely a nation of immigrants. The theory of Aryan invasion which was floated by the imperialistic historians in pursuance of their 'Divide and Rule' policy has now been totally rejected by various researchers.
It is true that India is a land of diversity but it is not true that the diversity is due to waves of immigration. It is a false reading of history. One cannot agree with Justice Katju that it was Akbar and Nehru who deserve credit for the unity of India. Centuries before Akbar was born, it was Sankaracharya who established four Mutts in the four corners of India and demonstrated that culturally and spiritually India is one.
Mahatma Gandhi also in his book 'Hind Swaraj' has openly stated that the practice of pilgrimage of people from one part of the country to the other, prevalent from the very ancient time, was instituted by our ancestors in order to strengthen and preserve the unity of India.
Swami Vivekananda was the personification of India's unity and it was he who inspired even Gandhiji and Nehru to fight for India's freedom.
It is unfortunate that a person of the standing and understanding of justice Katju should have turned a blind eye to these facts, he added.