India, no doubt, is the largest democracy in whatever way one wishes to define democracy. It is a land of contradictions: the filthy rich and the poorest of the poor lives almost side by side. Its teeming millions with varying political views, religious diversity and language complexity make this land unique, together with the shameful poverty yet simple lifestyle of most people. It remains one of the world\u2019s civilizational heritage corners still being studied. It also remains one of the most outsourced nations in the market-led economic and the Information technology industry. It ranks high as a country that has the capacity to weather many issues and problems at the same time in different locations of its vast landmass. It has defused the Kalistan agitation almost permanently, though at a cost. It has carefully crafted the balkanising of the Tamil Nadu popular-figure-linked-politics permanently. In both cases the Delhi administration diverted the separatist political ideology of Kalistan and Tamil pressure groups. They made sure that there were no repeat telecast political miscarriages of 1947 and 1971. India has not recovered from those historical socio-political wounds. They continue to fester in the body politic of India with the high and low political tides of their severed body parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh.<\/span><\/p>\n

India and UNHCR<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

India voted against Sri Lanka at the United Nation Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) sessions in March 2013 for a second time. New Delhi made a fainthearted decision, and succumbed to the pressure and blackmailing political behavior in South Asia. What the Indian foreign policy strategists, so called \u2018tactful\u2019 political gurus and the regional intelligence pundits missed was that they were about to lose their regional grip crucial to their own geopolitical stability and security as well. Delhi failed to learn from its past mistakes and gave way to a new pressure emanating from its new ally, the US within the political mess in South India. Delhi has missed out on or deliberately ignored its regional power and now cannot blame her neighbors becoming friendly with other neighbors far and near. When India abandons its neighbors one by one callously, it is obvious that they will shift to other economic and political magnets. Simple logic with common sense could avert political disaster among its own Indian masses. I will be testing time for the ruling coalition in India as it faces its national elections this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Human Rights<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The ruling party in Sri Lanka is a complex coalition. It is a skill to manage the diehard nationalists, soft and hard Marxists, left of centre groups and several others with nebulous political views. They have so far resisted the colossal pressure from international groups, powerful states and the rights groups home and abroad. All these groups, and the Delhi administration, have realised that they are battling both a government they want to change, and a people who have refused to allow interference from anybody, wherever it comes from. The so called softer version of the UNHCR March resolution was not due to any of Delhi\u2019s change of views. They had to listen to the people\u2019s will which they have assessed in the country at large via their monitoring network (which is a common knowledge by the way) on the island. The voice that comes from across Sri Lanka is: \u2018give us a chance after 30 years and allow us to be a sovereign nation\u2019 which has challenged all parties clamouring for regime change both home and abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Human rights abuses are rampant<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

across all states and the so called campaigners must look carefully what they campaign for. The developing countries just cannot afford band-wagon politics of some pressure groups who infest the streets with little or no analysis of the actual ground situation and its implications. They must not hide behind the human rights lobby and unknowingly become stooges of a hand operating from elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s resilience<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka is a resilient nation and the 2004 Tsunami and its speedy recovery, of course, with International support proves that they as a people will rise against all odds. Ordinary Sri Lankan masses are hardly bothered about what the West and the UNHCR alongside India are about as long as their lives are not disrupted and not put into political jeopardy like during the time of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord (1987) and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF- 1978-1990) presence on this island. Delhi\u2019s obstinate act of dropping dry rations from Sri Lanka\u2019s airspace with no prior notice to the incumbent Colombo administration was a political miscarriage on their part. Such high handed violations of International rules of engagement will not be tolerated any more by the masses as they are now a nation that wishes to shun street bombs and suicide strikes. They see them now in different parts of the world (like the Boston Bomb Blast, and the streets of Baghdad, Karachi and Kabul) and wish them no more on their island nation.<\/span><\/p>\n