During working years, one rarely finds time to read newspapers in depth. One generally browses the headlines and sets out to his place of work. However, when one retires, reading newspapers becomes his second nature. That was how a friend shared with me three news items he thought were important. He said that the issues involved in them should be RESOLVED in the next four years because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only hope in the prevailing political and social ecosystem of our country.

I told him the maxim that “The mills of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind well.” Likewise, I told him, the wheels of the government move slowly but at the end grind well. So also the wheels of justice — they turn slowly but grind fine at the end. At this, my friend snapped back: What happens when the wheels fall off and there is no justice? Ask T.V. Mohandas Pai, I said.

Be that as it may, now let me turn my attention to the three news items my friend mentioned. One was about Rahul Gandhi’s Citizenship of India. The second news item was about return of those Kashmiri Pandits who escaped terrorist persecution in 1990 by migrating to Jammu and other parts of the country — some are in Bengaluru too. The third was about  Sambhal Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh (UP).

We have been reading about Rahul Gandhi’s controversial Indian Citizenship since decades. It is an important question that must have been decided before Rahul Gandhi was allowed to contest the election. It is Constitutionally imperative that this question must be answered either by the Union Government or by the Court because he has now become the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, which means that a person with questionable citizenship is part of the Union Government.

For sure, ours is a Left-Liberal Democracy and a Soft Government and seems to be a lethargic government. Who knows, there must be some purpose for the delay in deciding the case one way or the other.

This is the later petition in the Lucknow High Court which has sought information from the Union Home Ministry regarding Rahul Gandhi’s Citizenship. In an earlier petition, which was dismissed as withdrawn, the Karnataka resident, one S. Vignesh Shishir, claimed Rahul Gandhi holds British Citizenship and hence ineligible to contest the election. But Rahul Gandhi contested, won and has become the LoP. The issue seems to have become a fait accompli.

See the irony of it all. The petitioner had submitted two representations to the Union Home Ministry in this regard. But there was no response. So the petitioner has gone back to the same Court seeking CBI probe into the matter. And, of course, the Court has rightly sought information from the Union Government about action taken on petitioner Vignesh Shishir’s representations.

How can we blame the Court when the Executive does not co-operate? This is Modi’s fast-track administration!

Now let us meet the victims of the great EXODUS of Kashmiri Pandits. Those who know the political ethos of the Congress-led UPA Government understand why there was no progress in the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits in their home and hearth.

But what about BJP led NDA government? Good 11 years passed after it came to power, but the diaspora of Kashmiri Pandits continues.

Now the news is that a group of Kashmiri Pandit families (remember women and growing children) has registered a Housing Society in Srinagar, an initiative to help themselves in nearly 35 years of the exodus.

Both the LoP and the Prime Minister must pore over the much touted and discussed amended Preamble of our Constitution. And also about the fundamental rights to life, liberty and property. Either give back unto the Kashmiri Pandits in diaspora their land and home or bring about another amendment to the Preamble and remove the words Secularism and Socialism which have become redundant in the present political ecosystem. I wish for a third Pan-National Political Party on the ideology and thoughts of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Then we will have three Pan-India Political Parties —                                                             1. Based on the ideology of Nehru. 2. Based on the ideology of Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and 3. Based on the ideology of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

This should take us to the third news. It is about Sambhal Jama Masjid in UP. The violence, arson and killings are now the stuff of Court cases. This makes me wonder if the Muslim invaders demolished maximum number of Hindu temples only in UP — United Province during days of Raj and rule by Nawabs as feudatories during Mughal era. We have crossed the mark of three generations after partition of our country between Muslims and non-Muslims. But Hindus are not able to reclaim their lost heritage and temples. One reason was absence of support from the ruling Congress Government, rather it resisted any claim from Hindus.

Now a pro-Hindu BJP Government is ruling and the Hindus have made themselves bold to lay claim on their lost temples. They got Ayodhya, now they are claiming Shri Hari Har Temple at Sambhal, UP.  Once again the first Mughal Emperor Babar’s name appears in connection with this mosque and blood has already been spilled.

When we look at the unfolding of events in connection with the Hindu claims over their ancient temples built centuries before Mughals conquered parts of India, the future does not seem to augur well for a peaceful social order in UP and other parts of India. Look at the list — Kashi and Mathura and now Sambhal. One more is brewing in Ajmer’s Dargah. Not to be left behind, last evening I saw on Kannada TV the controversy about a mosque in Srirangapatna.

No. This cannot go on and on. The Union Government may take a cue from the South African model to resolve this kind of problems created by past history. The South African Government set up a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” (TRC) to uncover the truth and then negotiate reconciliation. In India too we should, in a similar manner, negotiate reconciliation between the two rival groups — Hindus and Muslims. Yes, this requires political will and joint leadership.

Let Truth Triumph and Peace Prevail.

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