Babri Mosque incident a tragic event in Indian history: Aiyar

KARACHI - Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and former Indian Counsel General in Karachi, Mani Shankar Aiyar delivered a lecture on 'India after Rajiv under the lecture series titled Culture, Politics and Change in South at the Mohatta Palace. Aiyar in his lecture stressed the need for both the neighbouring countries of India and Pakistan to understand the deep rooted relationship that exists between the two and that one must try and cement it better ways. In his lecture, he said; Indian need to understand Pakistan after General Zia and Pakistanis on the other hand need to understand India after Rajiv. Based on this he delivered an extensive lecture citing Indian Democracy and Indian Secularism; all within the past twenty years time. Furthering his statement, he said, In 1947, a religious minority stood up and demanded a separate nation of its own, supported by its Elite class. This independence for India led to freedom for its entire people. Hence, today India supports Democracy to its greatest level. Stating further that so far since Rajivs death as many as 15 general elections have taken place, and their has been a successive change of government; making sense of the fact that not much muscle power is used or deployed in the Indian General Elections. But furthermore, he said, that Rajiv Gandhi feared about the future of democracy and the Brokers of Power would soon be the tight-pant walas sons of former Indian dhobis. Through, them Rajiv had feared there would be democracy that would be undermined and subdued. About insurgency that takes place anywhere in a small village of Indian, it is often attributed in the media as a Muslim-created skirmish which is nonetheless never the case. He said, this is often because of tribal problems within the small villages. For Rajiv, he believed the problem to all the problems was democracy which should reach to the people at the grass-root level. Devolution of responsibility based on the three principles of function, finances and functionaries. Aiyar said, There is an astonishing plurality in our country, from twenty-eight different languages spoken on its soil, to as many as three dialects of speech, every other race is found on my mother-land, we no doubt have a rich history. About secularism, he said, Religion is everyone private matter and so India believes in it. But one must not forget to debate the most tragic event in the Indian history was the destruction of the Babri Mosque. Till today Advani regrets this move. More poignantly massacre in Gujarat, will always be a scar on the face of Modi and he should never aspire for the highest office in India, because the dark stain still remain. About Rajivs belief on Secularism he quoted two quotations, 'Secularism is bonding your nation and 'India that is not secular does not need to survive. On the final word speaking on poverty and economic growth which cannot go hand in hand, he explained that According to Arjund Singh Gupta Committee, 77 percent of Indians today still live under Rs 20 per day. We cannot delude ourselves, India can only prosper if Indians prosper. At Davos, we were most notably called 'Flavor of the Month (as if we were an ice cream) because of our Indian Economic growth rate at one end and poverty at another end.