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>   Title : Reported move to conduct a survey on the basis of religion in Defence Forces.

SHRI L.K. ADVANI  I am grateful to you for permitting me to raise this particular matter. I am referring to the reported communal headcount ordered in respect of the Armed Forces. I am not referring to the other issues to which also I have exception like the appointment of the Justice Sachar Committee itself.

THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE (SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE): Could you mention the name of the book?

SHRI L.K. ADVANI  I will give it to you in a minute.  The name of the book is, 'Khaki and Ethnic Violence in India' and the summary if I were to quote is:

“India's military, paramilitary and the police constitute one of the largest security forces around the globe. Who constitute these forces? What is the ethnic and religious background of these troops? Does the composition of these forces mirror the diversity of Indian society? Have their composition undergone any change since Independence? ”   This I regard as a very pernicious thesis and even though formally the Sachar Committee has distanced itself from this American Scholar's book, it has allowed itself to be used as a conduit for such pernicious thesis.  This is my charge and when I say this, I have with me an article written by an Ex-Serviceman, a former Colonel, Dr. Anil Athale based in Pune, who expresses concern about this[R3] . 

SHRI L.K. ADVANI : Sir, as I said in the beginning, I regard … (Interruptions)

MR. SPEAKER: Please take your seats.  Please sit down.

… (Interruptions)

SHRI L.K. ADVANI : Mr. Speaker, Sir, I object to the formation of the Sachar Committee itself and I regard it as pursuance of vote bank politics. … (Interruptions[lh13] ) SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE : You are doing vote bank politics. We are not doing vote bank politics. Mr. Advani, you are doing vote bank politics. Starting from Ram Shila to the demolition of the mosque, you are responsible for bringing vote bank politics in this country. … (Interruptions) If any Party is responsible for vote bank politics, it is the Party of BJP, it is the Party of Shri L.K. Advani, which is responsible. … (Interruptions)

MR. SPEAKER: Let us hear him just one minute more.

… (Interruptions)

MR. SPEAKER: What is this? You please take your seat.

SHRI L.K. ADVANI : The Sachar Committee has been asked to assess the economic and social conditions of the Muslim community, and in pursuance of that, they have put questions to various Departments of the Government of India. I would be happy if the Committee is scrapped itself but, at least, so far as the Army is concerned, these questions should not be addressed to the Army at all. This is my submission.