Book of Integration Council New - Ministry of Home Affairs

the case to the CBI. It is a matter, it is a decision for State Government to make unless
of course somebody goes to court, to High Court and the court orders the transfer, but
I think the Government has to do it. Secondly the Central Government advisories have
been helpful in Karnataka to some extent, but in Orissa to a much lesser extent and very
very late. You really have failed to respond to the gravity of the situation, and in particular
the Home Ministry. This is point that I think we must make. The second thing is the
this business of bogie of conversions. We have to have a proper debate on it. This is
not the occasion but the whole concept of secularism has been distorted by this
campaign against conversions and even in the guidelines issued by the Home Ministry,
you compromise on it on page 2, there is a reference to history of religious conversions/
re-conversions. That is the term the people compaigning against conversions use,
reconversion is anyone who is not a Hindu, who converts to Hinduism, is re-converted,
regardless of the what religion their family espoused and to employ this language, may
look like a small point. I think is a compromise and which is not very helpful at all. And
finally I want to make a point about the Media. I think the Media, most of my colleagues,
most sections of the Media as far as I am aware, have come out in defence of communal
amity and secularism. There are differences on what to do, honest differences, but I
think the Media have really in this case, in Orissa as it did in Gujarat, taken a very active
stand more than most agencies, most insititutions in our society and system, and I think
again looking at the guidelines, the whole approach is how to be careful, how to monitor
the media, how to brief the Media, the Governments need to be briefed by the Media.
The Governments need to learn from the Media also, because very often you don’t
know what is happening and I think a bolder approach must be taken to this because we
see ourselves as having a truth telling role, a whistle blowing role, where necessary. I
also agree that we have to be very restrained, social responsibility is important, but it is
not all about containing negative publicity in the Media. It is also about bringing out the
truth in the media and the Government encouraging this, and all political players must
encourage this. And I think this again needs to be rectified in the guidelines. I am also
bothered by the final statement by the Home Secretary in the Guidelines that he says this
is illustrative, rather than it is illustrative, anybody can add things to it and completely
distort, can turn upside down what you want to say. So guidelines are guidelines. They
are, it is like a code, they have no, may be they can’t be enforced easily or directly but
guidelines have to be specific and lay down what to do and what not to do. Do not
say this is an illustrative list in, which case, all kinds of things would be added to the
guidelines and these are my observations.
Thank you.
32