Hindu terrorism in India

  
Terrorism in India is not new. No, I am not talking just about terrorism in Kashmir. Even before Kashmir became a problem, India had to deal with Naxalites in Bengal, Khalistanis in Punjab and various outfits in the old province of Assam.
  
Although India's leaders talked about the country as a shining example of "Unity in Diversity", several vested interests want to see India fractured, either geographically or ideologically. Either of these divisions will weaken India, when it stands at the threshold of becoming a regional and international force.
  
Of obvious note is the 'Islamic' terrorism, that has gripped the nation, as it has the entire world. Vir Sanghvi in his piece today, "After the blasts" in the Hindustan Times, has given a good analysis and so I would not spend time on it.
  
What is of significance are the other acts of terrorism that go unpunished. These are committed by units of the 'Parivar' (Family); they have political support because the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), their political wing, is the main opposition party at the Centre and also governs several states.
  
Recently, there has been killing of Christians in the provice of Orissa. The Press Trust of India (PTI) reports that "The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has blamed Sangh Parivar outfit Bajrang Dal for the communal violence in the NDA-ruled states of Karnataka and Orissa." (NDA stands for National Democratic Alliance that is a combination of political groups that governed India before the present regime. The BJP is the major partner in NDA.)
  
In addition, the Hindustan Times reports that "the 150-year-old St Peter and St Paul Cathedral were set on fire in Jabalpur in MP [Madhya Pradesh]. The Jabalpur attacks coincided with fresh attacks on Karnataka churches, in Moorje in Chikmagalur and Chikaballappur, 50 km from Bangalore." In addition to Orissa and Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh is also ruled by the NDA.
  
An Australian missionary, Graham Staines, 58, and his sons, Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6 ware killed in 1998 in Orissa, and the Bajrang Dal was blamed for that act as well.
  
Christians in India are a small minority, but even Muslims, the largest minority in India (12% of the population) are not immune. Between Feburary and May 2002, the Indian province of Gujarat witnessed a pogrom, with overt, covert and tacit support of the State government, that left over 2000 Muslims dead. Of course, Gujarat was (and is) ruled by the BJP. 
  
  
India is a secular democracy, with freedom of speech, religion, etc. protected, like the First Amendment in the United States. A large proportion of Indians believe in the 'seperation of church and state'. However, there has been a steady and dramatic increase in people, especially the majority Hindus, who feel that their rights are being trampled on because the government is favoring minorities.
  
Excuses are easy to find for these miscreants. From "forced conversion to Christianity", "burning of Hindu 'pilgrims' by Muslims in Gujarat", to "forced evacuation of Kashmiri Pundits".
  
The fact remains that these outfits of the 'Parivar' - the Bajrang Dal, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), The Rasthriya Svamsevak Sangh (RSS), etc. - practice or condone violence. Some, like the Bajrang Dal are more violent, while others, like the RSS, fan the flames.
  
Unlike no other time in history, India is at a critical juncture. Its economy is growing between 7 and 10%, it has just become the sixth de facto member of the nuclear club and its geopolitical importance is coming to fore.  If it were to jump on to the world stage as another power, it cannot afford to have a disruptive landscape.

It does not matter whether this disruption is caused by a Hindu or a Muslim organization. It must be attended to.
  
For its own sake, India should declare the various organizations of the 'Parivar' as a terrorist, freeze their assets, and ban them.