Last week, a group of upper-caste Hindus opposed to CA Senate Bill 403 met a representative of a Democratic Assemblywoman in Irvine. The speakers belonged to several Hindu and Jain groups and included comments from a Zoroastrian. The following is a summary of the 85-minute-long meeting at a location known as a hub of white supremacists.
Some 20 upper caste Hindus organized a town hall meeting with the 73rd district Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris' representative to oppose Senate Bill 403. The bans discrimination based on Caste. It defines Caste as" referring to an individual's position in a system of social stratification based on inherited status. It does not allow people to alter inherited status; it imposes socially enforced restrictions on marriage, private and public segregation, discrimination, and social exclusion based on birth status. Caste discrimination is present across South Asia and the South Asian diaspora, as well as around the world, including South America, Asia, and Africa. In addition, caste discrimination is present across religious communities.
Less than 20 Hindus attended the meeting, 11 of whom were speakers. A 43-year-old woman identifying as a representative of the world's most persecuted Hindus was the conductor of the meeting. But it appeared that the main organizers were Hindu nationalists trying to maintain caste hierarchy as a religious obligation. She claimed that during the last 1,300 years, millions and millions of Hindus suffered waves of genocides by Muslim invaders. Interestingly, India's Hindu population in 1100 C E. was about 60 million, which increased to 300 million in 1947, when the British left the country. Only 18 percent of them identified as twice born or the so-called upper caste. The rest were Shudras, untouchables who were given the title of Harijan by Mahatma Gandhi. Ironically, terrorists adored by many upper-caste Hindus assassinated Gandhi, many of them living in the U.S. She also claimed that she was a victim of the genocide of Hindus in 1947 when India split into two. Living in the US for three decades, she hid the fact that she was born some 30 years after the independence of India from the British colonialists.
The speakers claimed to speak on behalf of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists with a specific omission of 65 percent Shudras or the so-called backward castes, 25 percent Christian and Muslim Indian.
The speakers blamed British colonialists for constructing caste as a Hindu religious identity, denying the existence of discrimination based on one's status imposed at birth. Caste is not part of the Hindu faith, the speakers flaunting their caste names asserted. Who would decide which caste is upper and which lower, asked some of them?
Some pretended naive, claiming they were unaware of their caste until they heard of this bill. Ironically, they all believe in the sanctity of Rig Veda and Manusmirti, two of Hinduism's sacred books referring to varna (loosely translated as caste) hierarchy. According to this religiously sanctioned system, the Hindu deity created the priest caste from his head, warriors from his chest, the business caste from the stomach, and the caste with menial work from his feet. A person can change his religion, but not caste. They ignored the harsh reality prevailing in places where upper castes controlled religious establishments, The so-called Shudras were never accepted as whole human beings.
The worst part of the meeting was the vocal and hidden threats given to the Democratic position and the utter disrespect to the rule of law.
Irvine, CA has a population of 320,00. White and Asian populations are about 42 percent each. Some 13,000 are Hindus, with only 41 percent citizens. Of these 41 percent, nearly half are non-voters. The 11 speakers were not shy in suggesting that Hindus would use their money, votes, and professional and business clout to challenge the Democratic Party. One of them called the senators who supported the bill "stupid Americans." He implied that only intelligent Americans were the opponents of the Bill.
None of the speakers mentioned that 25 percent of scheduled tribes and castes do not identify as Hindus. One of the speakers, taking pride in her identity as a member of a scheduled caste, made a hilarious comment when she said that the status of thousands of upper-caste Hindus was more important than the quest for equality for Dalits or members of scheduled castes.
The President of the local Hindu temple, showing his Republican Party card, warned the Democrats of Hindu wrath in the coming election.
The response of Assembly women was complete with wisdom and dignity. He refused to comment and concluded the meeting with a simple statement, and I will brief her about your views.
The meeting gave an idea of the future designs of caste-supportive supremacist people of Indian origin, representing the ideals of India's world's most militant religious organizations.
The supremacists want to preserve casteism, the flagship of their perceived notion that they are the darlings of the divine and deserve a superior position.
The supremacists want to preserve casteism, the flagship of their perceived notion that they are the darlings of the divine and deserve a superior position. Caste is a religiously-backed institution promoting divisions by birth. It assigns purity and profanity based on one's association with a caste. California and the world do not need a racist and bigoted social system that refuses dignity of many because of their social status.
A good article needs to be published in the Indian Press.