Ajaz Ashraf's response

June 03, 2013 12:32 am | Updated December 04, 2021 11:38 pm IST

Nowhere in my piece have I accused the Anglo-Indian community of misusing the nomination provisions of the Constitution, nor have I said that they are not Indians.

Yet, it is also true, as documented in my article, that several governments have chosen to nominate Anglo-Indians to the State Assemblies even before proving their strength on the floor of the House. As for their population, all figures are at best estimates, in the absence of any Census data. However, even Ananthasayanam Ayyangar told the Constituent Assembly that their population was not even “five lakhs for the whole of India.” Considering their migration from India in the subsequent debates — a fact testified by many academic tracts and anecdotal accounts — Dr. Dias’ estimate appears overly optimistic. Since the Census of India is expected to soon report the precise population of the community, the contentious issue about their number will likely get resolved.

As for the Anglo-Indian Nomination Action Committee, its formation and demand was reported by The Hindu . (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/panel-to-suggest-angloindian-for-nomination-to-assembly/article4726373.ece). Those who challenge the status quo are often dismissed outright. That said, Dr. Dias’ own record in Parliament is commendable — he has 98 per cent attendance, has participated 63 times in debates, and asked 117 questions.

(Ajaz Ashraf is a Delhi-based journalist. Email: ashrafajaz3@gmail.com )

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.