Dr Subramanian Swamy’s Lecture on Breaking India and its relevance to Sri Lanka
With India currently in the throes of a General Election with a probable result likely to have a far reaching impact on India’s relations with the rest of the world particularly Sri Lanka it is in our interest in Sri Lanka to have as great an understanding of India as possible particularly its history, politics and most importantly the growing threats directed towards the Break – up of India.
The break – up of either India or Sri Lanka would undoubtedly have adverse consequences on the other leading to violent convulsions of society and chain reaction in both countries. Given the trend of events in other parts of the world such as Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Syria and now Ukraine in the recent past , there is no guarantee that countries in South Asia can continue to remain immune from threats to their territorial integrity and sovereignty leading to their eventual division and balkanisation.
New norms created and championed by neo colonial western countries like the Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) adopt the position that state sovereignty is no longer an absolute right, and the protective cover of sovereignty can be removed if states fail to protect their populations from mass atrocity crimes— e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
We have often seen the use of “moral outrage and hysteria'” as a convenient pretext for ‘interventions by the civilised world’ or ‘the international community’ and for ‘humanitarian interventions’ in countries targeted for geo – political and strategic reasons. In other words R2P has become an excuse to conduct what is conventionally known as proxy wars.
Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines is a book written by Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan which argues that India’s integrity is being undermined by the support of western institutions for the Dravidianmovement and Dalit identity. It was published in 2011. In 2011 this book was in the list of top 10 bestseller books in India.
According to breakingindia.com, the promotional website for the book, India’s integrity is being undermined by three global networks that have well-established operating bases inside India: (i) Islamic radicalism linked with Pakistan, (ii) Maoists and Marxist radicals supported by China via intermediaries such as Nepal, and (iii) Dravidian and Dalit identity separatism being fostered by the West in the name of human rights. This book focuses on the third: the role of U.S. and European churches, academics, think-tanks, foundations, government and human rights groups in fostering separation of the identities of Dravidianand Dalit communities from the rest of India.
In the introductory chapter of Breaking India, Malhotra writes:
This book looks at the historical origins of both the Dravidian movement and Dalit identity, as well as the current players involved in shaping these separatist identities. It includes an analysis of the individuals and institutions involved and their motivations, activities, and desired endgame. While many are located in the US and the European Union, there are an increasing number in India too, the latter often functioning like the local branch offices of these foreign entities.
Reputed legal scholar Upendra Baxi says that the book essentially focuses on “3-S”:
- Subordination of India’s independence
- Surveillance of independent India
- Subversion of independent India
These postulates of Upendra Baxi are now more or less applicable to Sri Lanka in the light of the experience at the hands of hegemonic countries at UNHRC in Geneva. There is an increasing tendency by western countries using the tools of UN agencies and other international institutions and their ever willing staff to engage in the subordination, surveillance and subversion of independent Sri Lanka.
Dr Subramanian Swamy examines in a very profound and insightful way the implications and value of the work of Rajiv Malhotra’s ‘ Breaking India‘ in a lecture shown on YouTube.
Its duration is 34 .42 minutes. He delves into India’s History, Religion, Politics, Literature and alludes to conduct of 20th century public figures like Gandhi, Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Ambedkar and makes connections in a masterful way.
Dr Subramanian Swamy is the President of Janata Party which merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prior to the current General Elections in India. Dr Subramanian Swamy is a close associate of Narendra Modi.
Dr. Swamy is a well known critique of the State Government of Tamil Nadu and opponent of the “Aryan versus Dravidian” politics of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy condemning it as a theory concocted by the British with perverse intentions. He is a fierce opponent of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and has unequivocally supported Sri Lanka in its campaign against terrorism.
Dr. Subramanian Swamy has publicly urged the Indian government not to support the US led resolution at UNHRC condemning the Govt. of Sri Lanka and calling for an international probe into its conduct in the civil war, on the ground that this Resolution was totally one -sided and not in the best interest of India to vote against Sri Lanka, which has close civilizational links with India running for over several millennia.
Dr Subramanian Swamy is a published author of several books, research papers and journals, including a recent book entitled ‘Sri Lanka in Crisis: India’s Options (Publisher: Har Anand Publications; ISBN 978-81-241-1260-1).
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