A politician’s gift

The British perhaps had seen it a long time back and were prudent enough to exit in time. It is rather intriguing that even sixty years after their exit, the problem of sectarian violence, sometimes as communal clashes or caste violence and often on ethnic and class grounds, torments India. As if the external threats from our noble neighbours was not enough, these often avoidable internal conflicts have the potential to nullify all that independent India has achieved in six decades.

While the entire Northeast is mired in ethnic clashes among the myriad of tribes, the central heartland of the country is still paying the price of the age old caste system. Even when the nation is maturing enough to make communal riots a thing of the past, violence that often erupts on frivolous issues, like that of Dera Sacha Sauda or the Gujjar agitation, have the potential to rip apart the country. The polity, driven by the same myopic views of electoral gains, have been more than happy to let these issues rage on at intervals. But if this country has to stay united for even the next one century, it has to resolve these petty sub nationalist movements. Or else be prepared for the next partition...