WINDS OF CHANGE

Reference has also to be made to other challenges. These challenges are the challenges of communalism, the challenges of regionalism and the challenges of obscurantism, if I may put it that way. Communalism is also an expression of obscuratism. In the last two years, we have seen the worst types of communal incidents occurring in this country. For a party and a country which take the names of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, it is a matter of shame that we have not been able to put a stop to it yet. Even I as the Home Minister of this country must take my own share of the blame in it. But it is not only one Minister or one Government who can solve the problem. Unless we succeed in creating the necessary atmosphere in the country, in creating certain values among the minds of the people, there is no hope. There are not going to be any short-cut solu­tions to these problems. Therefore, it is necessary that we understand these problems. Since we are discussing the problem of communalism I would like to make a mention of the problem of minorities as well. We have made a mention that the minorities, Muslims, Christians and other people, certainly have a sense of grievance. It is no use denying the existence of the sense of grievance, and we will have to again undertake that programme of mass contact with these minorities and give these people a sense of confidence so that they can be with us as equal partners in the programme of social and political development of the country that we have on our hands. We see that unfortunately the danger of obscurantism is again rising in this country. We never thought that after 20 years of freedom there would come somebody to say that untouchability is a sacred thing. At least I never dreamt that anybody would have the courage to say so. But unfortunately we have seen that some people — I do not want to mention any individuals as such and unnecessarily give importance to anybody, because in these cases, matters are likely to go before the courts etc.— have come forward to justify untouchability. I am surprised that even in times like this the idea of untouchability should find support, that somebody should come forward to justify the chaturvarna. I would like to make one point here. In this country the problem is not merely of economic development, it is not merely of having the economic content of socialism, but it is of fighting this obscurantism. In this country we have yet to fight the divisionist tendencies based on language and regional criteria. In this country we have yet to win our battle against the communalism.