MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

A Peace pilgrimage: Catholicos. (7)
KOTTAYAM, AUG. 27. Catholicos Baselius Mar Thorna Mathews II, the supreme head of the Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church, has said that he was ready to have a rethink on the controversial journey to the
St. Mary's Church, Manarcadu, scheduled for August 31, provided the "appropriate authorities" gave him
the "necessary assurances" on the issue. Speaking to The Hindu, after marathon discussions with
various delegations who had approached him with peace initiatives, at the Catholicate Palace here today,
the Catholicos made it clear that his journey to the church (where the opposing Jacobite faction has a
brute majority) was not a move to antagonise anyone or an attempt to "capture" the church, but a
pilgrimage in peace. According to him, while the peace initiative by the head of various sister churches
was a welcome move, he personally felt that the time had already run out for such moves. The need of the
hour was to get the final verdict of the Supreme Court on the Samba case implemented, he pointed out.
The pontiff allayed fears expressed by the Jacobite faction regarding the conduct of the Ettu Nombu
Perunal (the feast of St. Mary), which begins on September 1, and said it would be conducted as before.
(Hindu, 28.8.2002)
30 th Aug
George sings secular tune at Swiss meet (7)
AFTER LENDING his services to the Sangh Parivar as a fire fighter in the Graham Staines murder and
the Gujarat riots. De fence Minister George Fer-nandes has chosen an in nocuous conference in dis tant
Switzerland to speak out for the need to "protect minorities" from "majoritarian agendas". Speaking at the
Interna tional Conference of Fed eralism 2002 at St Gallen on Thursday. Fernandes emphatically said,
"India is not one civilisation but multiple." The speech is expected to create some ripples in the NDA, of
which he is the convenor.
"The key to India's suc cess as a federal democra cy is the recognition of its diversities. Acceptance of all
religions and different ways of life is the corner-stone of India's civilisational heritage and polity," the
Defence Minister said, addressing a work session on 'Civil Society and Con flict Management: Reli gion and
Linguistic Diver sities - Case of India'. The MoD on Thursday distributed copies of this speech to the
media. Making a case for the "protection of minority groups against majoritarian agendas", he said the
underlying message of the freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi was that "no group was privileged
even if it happened to be in a huge majority". "Gandhi's politics was fully secular and his basic appeal to
the people was made on economic, politi cal and moral grounds and never on religious grounds."
(Hindustan Times 30.8.02)
2 nd September
Centre’s date for polls in Gujarat unlikely to stay. (7)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court's opinion on the llth Presidential reference will be signif icant in the context
of interpretation of Ar ticle 174 in relation to Article 324 of the Con stitution. But it may not help in holding
elec tions in Gujarat by October 6, the date the Centre insists on. The reference made under Article 143
(1) refers merely to three Articles — 174,324 and 356 — but it does not indicate the fact which resulted in
the reference. Even in the Ayodhya reference, to which the court had declined to an swer, the question of
fact was not mentioned. Therefore, it would not be incorrect to say that the opinion would be dealing with
the powers of the Election Com mission (EC) to hold free and fair polls. It would explain the importance of
"free and fair polls" and also demarcate the areas for the executive, the legislature and the EC. Under the
circumstances, political expedi ency would have little say. Much depends on EC's report enumerating the
reasons for not holding polls by October 6. Free and fair polls are a must for democra cy. EC alone is
authorised by the Constitution to determine whether polls would be possible on a given day. The
Constitution-makers nev er handed over this power to the executive, the legislature or the judiciary. The
difference in perception regarding "free and fair polls" is obvious. So, consider ing the arguments that are
awaited by the counsel for six national parties, the Centre, the state governments, the EC, and the attorney-general,
the task of forming an opinion would be as gigantic as reviewing the three crucial
Constitutional provisions. (Times of India, 2.9.02)
Vaghela Forces Modi to Defer Yatra. (7)