US President Barrack Obama made a speech today from Siri Fort in Delhi, where he touched upon many issues. He spoke about his last visit to India, about India’s Jan Dhan Yojana, Nuclear Deal, Ganga cleaning, and also about Religious tolerance.
Obama spoke about times in his life, when he was “treated differently” because of his colour or his alleged Islamic faith. He added that “No society is immune from the darkest impulses of men and too often religion has been used to tap into those instead of the light of God“. About India specifically, he had this remark, “India will succeed as long as it’s not splintered along religious lines”
All his points were perfectly valid, and indeed were a message to all the people who still ostracise people based on their religion. It was a message for unity among all religions, without bashing any particular group. Also, it was a small part of Obama’s 30 minute long address, which touched upon many other subjects.
Still, Journalist Kunal Majumder, who earlier worked for Tarun Tejpal, labelled the speech as a “speech against Hindutva”, when Obama didn’t mention any religion in particular!
Obama dared to give a speech against Hindutva loonies and FB is down. Any connection? :p as @ashwinskumar says #DiggyInspiredQuestion
— Kunāl Majumder (@kunalmajumder) January 27, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsFor some reason, noted “Neutral Journalist” Nikhil Wagle, felt that this was only meant for Modi, not for anyone from any religion who practises Religious extremism:
“@PTI_News: India will succeed so long it is not splintered on religious lines:Obama” Did u listen Mr Modi?
— nikhil wagle (@waglenikhil) January 27, 2015
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Sara Jacob, anchor from NDTV, asked whether reactions should be taken from Hindu leaders. Obviously secularism dictates that Christian Evangelists and Muslim hard-liners shouldn’t be questioned on religious extremism.
Should we get reactions from Sakshi Maharaj, Sadhvi Niranjan, Yogi Adityanand and the likes now?
— sarah jacob (@sjacobtalk) January 27, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsSiddharth Vardarajan, another journalist, said that Obama is saying what Modi should have said, but didn’t say:
Obama is saying things on diversity, and need to oppose sectarian divisions in India that Modi should have said but hasn’t in past 8 months
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) January 27, 2015
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Perhaps nobody showed this speech of Modi to him, where Modi asks for at least a 10-year moratorium on caste and communal violence.
Ashok Malik and Sadanand Dhume, Journalists and Political Commentators, were some of the few people to call the bullshit being spread by other journalists:
The NDTV discussion right now is banal. It’s come right back to Modi and Sangh Parivar bashing. Obama and foreign policy are irrelevant!
— Ashok Malik (@MalikAshok) January 27, 2015
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@BDUTT 1. Only one section of a wide-ranging speech. 2. Phrased in an unexceptionable manner, not remotely as a rebuke. @MalikAshok
— Sadanand Dhume (@dhume) January 27, 2015
One can’t fault Obama here, because he is unaware of the definition of Secularism in India, according to which, Hindus are communal by default, while all minorities are secular by default, and anyone questioning secularism of Minorities gets branded Communal.
