http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=83016&d=31&m=5&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Wednesday, 31, May, 2006 (04, Jumada al-Ula, 1427)
Arjun Singh an Icon of Secularism
Siraj Wahab, Arab News
JEDDAH, 31 May 2006 - Many Saudis will be learning more about
Arjun Singh, India's minister of human resources development, who is currently
on a visit to Saudi Arabia to strengthen educational ties between the two
countries. The minister arrived Monday night in Riyadh at the head of a
delegation of India's leading academics.
What many Saudis may not realize is that Arjun Singh has
played a pivotal role in Indian politics for decades and is credited with
preserving that nation's secular identity during dark times in the 1990s after
the destruction of the Babri Masjid, a 400-year-old mosque, when a wave of
communal intolerance threatened India's character of tolerance and diversity. A
loyal supporter of the Gandhis, he helped rebuild the Congress party and
restored Muslim confidence in the party after it was hijacked by P.V. Narasimha
Rao, who had given in to communal forces. Arjun Singh was instrumental in the
restoration of freedom and helped Sonia Gandhi wrest power from the
communalists.
Perhaps the most important lesson to learn from Arjun Singh
is his respect for all whether they are part of a minority or the majority. It
was he who purged the hatred and intolerance from the textbooks of India after
the Bharatiya Janata Party's fall from power, ensuring a secular future of
freedom for people of all faiths in India.
As minister of human resources development, Arjun Singh has
ensured that India's young people of all hues get the education and training
needed to drive the Subcontinent giant's economy to the next level of
development while garnering a rising standard of living for its people that
might have been unimaginable a decade ago.
He long ago roved his mettle and his secular credentials when
he was at the helm of affairs at India's second biggest state, Madhya Pradesh,
where Muslims formed a large portion of the electorate. Bhopal, the state
capital, was once a princely state ruled by a Muslim, and the prince had a
great say during the pre-partition era. Muslims of Bhopal, which later became
the capital of Madhya Pradesh, threw their lot with Arjun Singh because of his
transparent and secular character, and the state prospered under his governance
and leadership.
A true statesman, Arjun Singh's business has always been the
Indian people's business, and he has held ministerial positions under Rao,
Rajiv Gandhi and the current prime minister, Manmohan Singh.
During his visit, Arjun Singh is expected to expedite the
implementation of the declaration that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King
Abdullah and Manmohan Singh signed in New Delhi earlier this year to strengthen
educational ties between the two countries.
Cooperative agreements between Indian and Saudi universities
are expected to come out of the visit, and Arjun Singh, now in his 70s, may be
able to give Saudi educators and civic leaders insights on how to purge the
cultural baggage from the Kingdom's educational system and replace it with the
lessons that lead to a future of economic growth and prosperity.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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