Dr Subramanian Swamy’s Lecture on Breaking India and its relevance to Sri Lanka
Posted on April 19th, 2014
Senaka Weeraratna
With India currently in the throes of a General Election with a probable result likely to have a far reaching impact on India’s relations with the rest of the world particularly Sri Lanka it is in our interest in Sri Lanka to have as great an understanding of India as possible particularly its history, politics and most importantly the growing threats directed towards the Break – up of India.
The break – up of either India or Sri Lanka would undoubtedly have adverse consequences on the other leading to violent convulsions of society and chain reaction in both countries. Given the trend of events in other parts of the world such as Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Syria and now Ukraine in the recent past , there is no guarantee that countries in South Asia can continue to remain immune from threats to their territorial integrity and sovereignty leading to their eventual division and balkanisation.
New norms created and championed by neo colonial western countries like the Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) adopt the position that state sovereignty is no longer an absolute right, and the protective cover of sovereignty can be removed if states fail to protect their populations from mass atrocity crimes”” e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
We have often seen the use of “moral outrage and hysteria'” as a convenient pretext for ‘interventions by the civilised world’ or ‘the international community’ and for ‘humanitarian interventions’ in countries targeted for geo – political and strategic reasons. In other words R2P has become an excuse to conduct what is conventionally known as proxy wars.
Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines is a book written by Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan which argues that India’s integrity is being undermined by the support of western institutions for the Dravidian movement and Dalit identity. It was published in 2011. In 2011 this book was in the list of top 10 bestseller books in India.
According to breakingindia.com, the promotional website for the book,
India’s integrity is being undermined by three global networks that have well-established operating bases inside India: (i) Islamic radicalism linked with Pakistan, (ii) Maoists and Marxist radicals supported by China via intermediaries such as Nepal, and (iii) Dravidian and Dalit identity separatism being fostered by the West in the name of human rights. This book focuses on the third: the role of U.S. and European churches, academics, think-tanks, foundations, government and human rights groups in fostering separation of the identities of Dravidian and Dalit communities from the rest of India.
In the introductory chapter of Breaking India, Malhotra writes:
This book looks at the historical origins of both the Dravidian movement and Dalit identity, as well as the current players involved in shaping these separatist identities. It includes an analysis of the individuals and institutions involved and their motivations, activities, and desired endgame. While many are located in the US and the European Union, there are an increasing number in India too, the latter often functioning like the local branch offices of these foreign entities.
Reputed legal scholar Upendra Baxi says that the book essentially focuses on “3-S”:
- Subordination of India’s independence
- Surveillance of independent India
- Subversion of independent India
These postulates of Upendra Baxi are now more or less applicable to Sri Lanka in the light of the experience at the hands of hegemonic countries at UNHRC in Geneva. There is an increasing tendency by western countries using the tools of UN agencies and other international institutions and their ever willing staff to engage in the subordination, surveillance and subversion of independent Sri Lanka.
Dr Subramanian Swamy examines in a very profound and insightful way the implications and value of the work of Rajiv Malhotra’s ‘ Breaking India’ in a lecture shown on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD67rBIZEso
Its duration is 34 .42 minutes. He delves into India’s History, Religion, Politics, Literature and alludes to conduct of 20th century public figures like Gandhi, Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Ambedkar and makes connections in a masterful way.
Dr Subramanian Swamy is the President of Janata Party which merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prior to the current General Elections in India. Dr Subramanian Swamy is a close associate of Narendra Modi.
Dr. Swamy is a well known critique of the State Government of Tamil Nadu and opponent of the “Aryan versus Dravidian” politics of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy condemning it as a theory concocted by the British with perverse intentions. He is a fierce opponent of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and has unequivocally supported Sri Lanka in its campaign against terrorism.
Dr. Subramanian Swamy has publicly urged the Indian government not to support the US led resolution at UNHRC condemning the Govt. of Sri Lanka and calling for an international probe into its conduct in the civil war, on the ground that this Resolution was totally one -sided and not in the best interest of India to vote against Sri Lanka, which has close civilizational links with India running for over several millennia.
Dr Subramanian Swamy is a published author of several books, research papers and journals, including a recent book entitled ‘Sri Lanka in Crisis: India’s Options (Publisher: Har Anand Publications; ISBN 978-81-241-1260-1).
April 19th, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Endia is set to get rid of Endian Muslims when Modi becomes PM.
“PATNA: Senior BJP leader and former minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, Giriraj Singh kicked up a huge row when he said all those opposed to Narendra Modi should go to Pakistan as they have no place in India.
The remarks of the BJP leader, contesting the Lok Sabha election from Nawada, accusing Modi’s opponents of acting on behalf of Pakistan are likely to be examined by the Election Commission.
“Those opposing Narendra Modi are looking at Pakistan, and such people will have place in Pakistan and not in India,” Singh told a poll meeting at Mohanpur Haat Maidan near the temple town Deogarh on Friday.”
-timesofindia
April 19th, 2014 at 4:16 pm
Reduce parliamentary seats from Matara and Kurunegala and increase in Vavuniya and Nuwara Eliya. What the HELL?
“Sri Lanka’s Election Department has reduced the number of slots in parliament assigned for Matara District in Southern Province and Kurunegala district in North Western Province.
One slot each has been reduced from the Matara and Kurunegala districts and the two slots have been assigned as one each to the Vavuniya and Nuwara Eliya Districts.
The Elections Commissioner makes an annual announcement of the parliamentary slots to each district in the country according to the voter population.
The Elections Commissioner has recently issued the gazette notification announcing the number of MP slots for each district, which had shown the reduction of slots from the Matara and Kurunegala Districts and an increase in the slots for Vavuniya and Nuwara Eliya Districts.”
– colombopage
April 20th, 2014 at 4:08 pm
The balkanization of India is long overdue. The article breaks this issue into cast, the Maoists and Islamic radicalization. But I personally believe it is not that simple.
Regarding the Muslims of India they represent one of the world’s largest communities and are spread across India. Hot spots like Kashmir is not simply a “Muslim” issue but also a geopolitical issue between Islamabad and New Delhi both of whom claim that state in whole. The Indian part of Kashmir wants to secede. but the forces for it to become part of Pakistan or to become an independent nation is also an issue. The politics of Kashmir has managed to purge that Indian state of the Hindu Kashmiri population who currently are refugees within India and abroad. This has left Kashmir mainly Muslim.
If Kashmir were to become an independent nation she will emerge as one of the most strategic nations in the region. An Independent Kashmir will share borders with Russia, China, India, and Pakistan or the major powers of Asia. An independent Kashmir will also have control over the rivers that flow from her to India and Pakistan and have the power to control those rivers. It will however never solve the Muslim issue of India since most of India’s Muslims do not live in any particular part of India.
India’s massive population and the gross mismanagement of it has led to extreme poverty where a few hold the nation’s wealth while the rest of her 1.2 Billion people by and large live on a dollar per day. Even the much touted Indian middle class cannot overcome the second scourge of the caste system, where due to the practice of it relegates educated Dalits from the social mobility enjoyed by the higher casts. This has spawned a movement from a town called Naxalbari in the Indian state of Bengal. The “Naxals” later to be called the “Maoists” came into existence to address the entrenched corruption that keeps so many hundreds of millions of Indian in a perpetual state of poverty. Such a movement is meant to change the very way India is governed and not to balkanize the nation. The goal of the Maoists is to throw out the existing Oligarchy for a Communist system which has proven to have been a failure in elevating the lives of the poor. But nevertheless it is a violent multi state movement meant to eventually bring down the central government. In an article in Asia Times it stated the Maoists earn from just the Indian mining companies around 300 million dollars per year. The embedded failure of such a movement lies in India’s extraordinary diversity of people. Unlike China India is a polyglot of different cultures and different life styles that will not willingly fall into the strict conformism of a Communist state. India diversity has tasted the fruits of Democracy to relinquish it even if millions are suffering.
But India’s diversity combined with the entrenched levels of corruption has also spawned separatist movements. In the North eastern states who have been demanding New Delhi address the wave upon wave of illegal Muslim Bangladeshi people coming into their states has gone unaddressed. This has given birth to organizations such as ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam). The Naga people of Nagaland have never considered themselves Indian and have demanded their own state even during the British Raj. Other North Indian States such as Mizoram and Manipur also have separatist movements mainly due to the unaddressed problem of illegal Muslims from Bangladesh who skew the election process in India to their favor. Their influx has also led to massive deforestation in those states.
The Khalistan movement is unique among the separatist movements of India. It comes from the Punjab which is well developed, highly industrialized and has a lower level of poverty and caste issue. What it does have is the unique position of being the only state to have her own faith (Sikhism), own language (Punjabi) and her wealth has worked in favor of the separatists since the taxes taken from her state go to other states less fortunate, thereby depriving the Punjab of her own hard work. It was once tried under Brindanwale during the 1980’s and was soundly defeated by Indira Gandhi under “Operation Blue Star”. But recently with Pakistan’s backing a new movement for Khalistan has taken root. It is also supported by the wealthy Sikh diaspora in a similar manner of the Eelam movement in Sri Lanka.
Articles in the Lankaweb to other internet magazines have connected the Eelam movement in Sri Lanka with Dravidian movement for independence from India emanating from Tamil Nadu. If the Eelam movement is successful it is proposed that it would be the ground work for the eventual secession of Tamil Nadu to create a “Tamil region” from India to Sri Lanka.
Other pseudo separatist movements such as the “Telengana” movement to split the state of Andhra Pradesh has already gained full support in New Delhi. But the question of India’s balkanization will continue to increase as long as she is grossly mismanaged by New Delhi and her population continues to grow to unsustainable levels.
April 21st, 2014 at 10:48 am
In 1918 President Woodrow Wilson in his speech of “Self Determination” laid the groundwork for the global independence of nations from the Colonial yoke. It also opened the door for every secessionist movement. Self determination according to the Wikipedia states “It states that nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or interference”.
An ethnic group can demand the freedom for a separate land regardless whether they are treated fairly or not.