[ 2 Mar, 2007, TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
NEW DELHI: Forty-two years ago, India proposed
at the UN the inclusion of 'descent' among the
prohibited grounds of discrimination to fight
apartheid and racism.
And recently, the Committee on Elimination
of Racial Discrimination expressed the opinion
that the country could possibly be branded as
racist because of the caste system, a charge
India formally refuted earlier this week.
Notwithstanding its unwavering support to Nelson
Mandela's successful fight against apartheid
in South Africa, CERD had asked India to explain
"the reasons why it maintains its legal
position that caste-based discrimination falls
outside the scope of the anti-apartheid convention,
a position contrary to CERD's General Recommendations
in 2002".
At a loss to understand the logic given by
CERD, India told the panel in Geneva on Monday
that the manner in which it has stretched the
meaning of the word 'descent' to include caste
system, displayed "attempts to stretch
English language".
Leader of the Indian delegation, solicitor
general G E Vahanvati, recalled Mahatma Gandhi's
contributions to the fight against inequalities
in the colonial era and placed before the panel
the clear provisions of the Indian Constitution
making discrimination punishable.
Vahanvati said: "The whole issue of racial
discrimination is abhorrent to India's psyche.
India is most involved in the international
struggle against apartheid and notwithstanding
any attempts to stretch English language, there
is no way in which we will allow our country
to be referred to as a country which practices
racial discrimination in any form."
The Country Rapporteur quoted PM Manmohan Singh's
recent speech, when he said the political, social,
cultural and intellectual battle against social
discrimination of Dalits must continue.
Vahanvati said what the CR forgot to include
from the PM's speech is that he had also said
that his government is deeply and sincerely
committed to the equality of all sections of
society.
Above all, India has a watch-dog like the judiciary
headed by the Supreme Court, which is very sensitive
to any kind of discrimination, having held that
right to equality formed the core of the Constitution
which cannot be amended even by Parliament,
he said.
