Friday, September 15, 2006

The politician in him refuses to die, so what if it brings trouble to his own party and the Prime Minister

IIPM MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
At 76, his body might be tiring but the fire in his belly for social equality and communal harmony is very much alive. The Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, of late, has been using a walking stick, but his political instincts are as sharp as ever. Be it championing the singing of India’s national song on its 100th anniversary (see the next article), implementing OBC quota in higher educational institutions, or ‘amending’ the NCERT syllabus, each one of his decisions, has created ripples across political waters in the country.

Singh’s decision to make singing of the national song, Vande Mataram, mandatory for all schools, and most importantly madarsas, angered some Muslim clerics. Said Maulana Ahmad Bukhari of Jama Masjid, Delhi, “This order hurts our sentiments. Muslims pray only to one God, Allah. This is why we can’t chant Vande Mataram.” Singh quickly amended the order making such a singing optional. BJP lapped up the issue as another sign of minority appeasement.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2006, Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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