Self Determination Votes:crimea, Scotland, Venice, Quebec

[Mehtab Singh]

President Vladimir Putin thanked India for taking a restrained and objective stand on Russias muscle flexing in Ukraine.

Addressing a joint meeting of the Russian Parliament on Tuesday on the occasion of Crimeas reunification with Russia Mr. Putin singled out China and India as the countries that showed understanding for Russias role in the Ukraine crisis.

We are grateful to all those who understood our actions in Crimea, Mr. Putin said. We are grateful to the people of China, whose leadership sees the situation in Crimea in all its historical and political integrity. We highly appreciate Indias restraint and objectivity.

India did not join the Western powers condemnation of Russias intervention in Crimea and kept a low profile on the issue.

The Ministry of External Affairs on March 6 issued neutral comment expressing concern for the fate of more than 5000 Indian nationals in Ukraine and called for sincere and sustained diplomatic efforts to ensure that issues between Ukraine and its neighbouring countries are resolved through constructive dialogue.

National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon gave a clearer indication of where Indias sympathies lied when he said in reply to a question, There are legitimate Russian and other interests involved and we hope they are discussed and resolved.

India has not reacted to the Ukrainian Ambassadors request to recognise the new interim government in Kiev and to voice support against the Russian invasion.

China was the only U.N. Security Council member to abstain on a U.S.-tabled draft resolution criticising Russia for Crimea. Thirteen Security Council members supported the resolution, which was vetoed by Russia.

At the height of the crisis Mr. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed on telephone from close positions the Ukraine standoff, according to the Kremlin.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/putin-thanks-india-for-its-stand-on-ukraine/article5800989.ece

[Mehtab Singh]

We can look to the example of the Iranian revolution :

What united the religious and the non-religious however was knowledge of their proud history of having spent thousands and thousands of years without ever being ruled and controlled by a foreign power.

It united all Iranians.

This is the same thing that we need to awaken in all Punjabis. We need to re-ignite that spark. Punjabis need to feel that same sort of anger each time they see Bollywood raping their culture.....Each time they see Bollywood ridiculing their proud history etc.

When we talk about Iranians in general, we're referring to not just those who are the Shia majority, but also those who are Sunni, those who are Zoroastrians, and those who are even Jewish as these communities do exist in Iran, besides the Baloch community and others as well. Punjab is like a communal salad comprising of people following different religions, Sikhi, Islam, Jainism, Hinduism, Christianity, perhaps even Buddhism and not to forget the newly found sect of Ravidasis who claim to be distinct from the Khalsa Panth. Then within these communities we have the "castes". Now they are all Punjabis. So I am wondering, do all these fall under our category/definition of Punjabi, or are we going to call only Sikhs as the sole successors of an Azad Punjab, if not a Khalistan? The land that was lost to Pakistan, and the land that became Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, possibly small parts of Rajasthan as well, used to be Punjab. Under Maharaj Ranjit Singh even Jammu & Kashmir (in part atleast) was under the Khalsa Raaj. It is even said that THAT Punjab stretched from Delhi to Kabul! Now if we're going to invoke the pride of all the above mentioned communities (based on their religions and "castes") as a brand of Punjabi pride, I am not sure how we could follow the Iranian model, although I am interested to know.

The proud history of Iran goes back a thousand years, they are proud that no outsider ever ruled them. Punjab was repeatedly attacked throughout history, and has been ruled by several outside regimes/dynasties. The non-religious aspect may not actually apply to Punjabis the way it does to Iranians, mainly because people of each one of the 3 major religions followed in Punjab are fiercely loyal to their faith, i.e. Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus. Neither one is ready to forget their history, whether recent or ancient.

Khalsa Raaj was a model regime, it fulfilled almost all the qualities and virtues as mentioned by Bhagat Ravidas Jee. It was a period in history when all faiths of Punjab thrived. An entity based on Punjabi nationalism is indeed an attractive offer, a very attractive one I must say. But I would request more comparisons and insights regarding how can it be based along the lines of Iranian nationalism.

[lsingh]

So by supporting Russia on Crimea , India is saying it's OK for countries to declare Independence and breakaway. Ok Kashmir , Khalistan, Eastern states let's see what India says then.

[genie]

So by supporting Russia on Crimea , India is saying it's OK for countries to declare Independence and breakaway. Ok Kashmir , Khalistan, Eastern states let's see what India says then.

Good assessment. Interest political times we living in

[West London Singh]

But I would request more comparisons and insights regarding how can it be based along the lines of Iranian nationalism.

Not so much Iranian nationalism per se Mehtab Singh, more events leading up to the Iranian revolution.

Most importantly how vital it is to have the intelligentsia on board. In pre-revolution Iran, with the Shah cracking down harshly on practising Islam, it was people like writers and academics who, although not at all religious, disliked the way that they were not allowed to be religious even if they wanted to........which they didn't. With them on board the poor masses couldn't fail.

Back in the 1980's we Sikhs had the intellegensia on board. At the forefront of the Sikh movement were not uneducated types, but graduates with masters and phd's...i.e the All India Sikh Students Federation. That needs to be a priority of ours as even recent revolutions and uprisings in places such as Egypt, Tunisia etc have shown how popular uprisings will only work with them on board.

There are of course some stark differences between Punjabis and Iranians. The Iranian people in general, and their academics in partcular, have always been very emotional people stirred by poetry and the arts. For such people, it is easy to think about what is going on and empathise with the suffering of others.

We Sikhs, and Punjabis in general, seriously lack such a class of people. With us, its all about money. Our elite are not those that can wax lyrical about Nietsche and Descartes, but simply rich fools. Until we address that, our movement continues to look, from the outside looking in, full of uneducated types.

[Mehtab Singh]

Thanks for explaining West London Singh. I guess it all then boils down to what we can and should use as our deadliest weapon in the present age: education.

[jpsingh2]

after 1984 there was a end of racism from.mainsteam society for.all people. the way we treat each other is eg being equal etc is directly and explicitly because of Guru Nanak. Sikhi.doesn't grow.by.numbers or land it grows.by the way the world changes.for.the.better.

[lsingh]

Polls show that vote may go for Scottish Independence on Sept 18th. 51 % in favour now up 20%.

http://news.sky.com/story/1331427/scottish-referendum-yes-campaign-takes-lead

[lsingh]

Indians scared of Scottish Referendum . They fear a Scottish state and the impact it may have on them.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/god-forbid-sushma-swaraj-s-reply-on-scotland-referendum-causes-ripples-590229

'God Forbid!' Sushma Swaraj's Reply on Scotland Referendum Causes Ripples

Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's response to a question on Scotland's referendum has caused ripples in the British media.

In her first official press conference on Monday, Ms Swaraj appeared unprepared when a foreign correspondent asked her about the September 18 referendum in Scotland that could lead to a possible break-up of the United Kingdom.

"A break-up of the UK? God forbid. I don't think any such possibility exists at the moment," the minister said, looking taken aback.

When Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh whispered something, Ms Swaraj made a recovery, saying, "It is up to the people of Scotland to decide."

A newspaper in Britain headlined the minister's incredulous response.

"Indian foreign minister horrified by Scottish independence threat," said The Telegraph.

The report went on to say that "the diplomatic mask has begun to crack and India's foreign minister has provided a glimpse of unexpressed feelings among policy makers around the globe."

The newspaper noted that Ms Swaraj responded to the referendum question "with note of horror." It added that she quickly corrected herself after officials had a word with her.

A commentator on a website dedicated to the Scottish referendum debate questioned - "Why are world leaders intervening in the Scottish independence debate?" He listed the Indian foreign minister among world leaders who "have felt compelled to comment on the independence debate on Scotland and the UK."