Book of Integration Council New - Ministry of Home Affairs

august body today. Let’s make a commitment now. Keeping the guidelines already
evolved as a term of reference, May this National Integration Council meeting today
appoint a Commission of Inquiry from its own members to look into just one thing
and that is what is the extent to which the guidelines evolved by the National Integration
Council, have been applied to the situation in Kandhamal. Because my friends, the
problem with us is not ideas as we know are enough. We know what the problems
are, we know what the solutions are. The problem with us is that we don’t have the will
to act. And unless and until, we move away from this paralysis of will, exercises like
this will not yield the benefit that we want this country to have. Let me plead with you
with a broken heart, we have spent hours and hours here, we have been comfortable. I
love these flowers. But can we today fix a deadline for ending the misery of the people
of this country. Can we say that 5 days, 6 days, 7 days from now people living in the
forest of Kandhamal will be allowed to come back home, they will be unable to leave the
relief camps. This should be called refugee camps. The degradation of the citizens of
this country to the status of refugees in their own country. I believe it is the greatest
collapse of democracy in this country. Dear Prime Minister, there is a litmus test to
measure the health of the democracy and that is the degree of welfare and security that
the minorities enjoy. This is a principle acknowledged all over the world. The world is
looking at us and by this international standards, I am afraid Indian democracy is failing
and I am sorry that it is happening at this time. We are meeting after three years. If you
remember situation when you convened the first NIC meeting and now the sickness of
our democracy has only progressed. I only want to plead with all of us to make the
kind of adjustments and sacrifices necessary to heal this country. I want to plead with
my own community, to pay the price to make peace prevail, to make the sacrifices it
takes to promote National Integration. Some apprehensions were expressed here that
Christian community will join the terrorist. I want to say one thing very clearly. The
Christian faiths has nothing to do with violence. Jesus said put down the sword, he
who takes a sword will fall by it. Christian community will not become terrorist. That
is not the concern here. The concern here is Christians are also citizens in this country.
The state has a duty and I hope under your leadership Mr. Prime Minister, the situation
will improve. There will be a commitment and this commitement will be translated
into action and that the concerns expressed here will flow out of this comfortable
room and will reach the lives of people and became a pronouncement of peace,
comfort, hope in the life of the traumatized people. I appeal to you in the name of god.
Thank you.
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