Lord Bhikhu Parekh recently addressed the human rights situation in India, especially as it relates to academics, Muslims, Christians and Dalits. Lord Parekh explained that the Supreme Court of India has acted as the custodian of those rights and has been vigorous in enforcing them. According to him, religious minorities enjoy far better rights in India than elsewhere. They enjoy religious freedom and the right to set up educational and constitutional institutions and are governed by their own personal laws.
“However, this is the formal side of it only; at a more substantive level, Hinduism, Islam and other religions have interacted and created a composite culture, to which they all have contributed and in which they all participate. For example, the law of karma, which is supposed to be a Hindu doctrine, is shared by 77% of Muslims. As a result, it has become ridiculous to talk about Muslims or Christians “in India”; they are Muslims or Christians of India because India has shaped them,” Lord Parekh said.
He further mentioned that in a country with a population of 1.3 billion, incidents are bound to occur when minorities—and even majorities—feel oppressed or treated unjustly. The system needs to be robust to deal with such situations.
Speaking about Dalits, he said that Dalits have occupied positions of power and influence, and have fought for their rights with determination. He added, “It is beginning to mount and put pressure on the Government. It is also worth bearing in mind that even after 200 years the Americans are still struggling with the legacy of racism, as witnessed by the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Addressing the matter of academics, Lord Parekh said, “Many academics have freely criticised the Administration of Mr Modi, but none has come to grief. My own family foundation has given 3 million rupees to Jawaharlal Nehru University and we have not come to any grief, nor have we done so for giving 1 crore rupees to the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.”
Concluding his speech, Lord Parekh said, “India welcomes critical advice—if not, it should welcome critical advice—provided that advice is accompanied by humility, is not condescending or patronising, and is based on a sympathetic understanding of India’s problems and predicament.”
