Tense times for Australia: a series of protests spurred by attacks on at least 13 Indian students in the past month. The students claim the attacks are racially motivated because of the pattern- 70 attacks on Indian students in the past year.
India has several thousands of citizens studying abroad each year: the interesting thing is how some in the Indian government are playing down the issue.
NDTV highlights that issue, bringing an Indian minister’s concern for how the conflict could affect ties between India and Australia.
“I think that this must be seen as a domestic issue for Australia to deal with within their own society, rather than as a bilateral problem between Australia and India.” --- Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs
The Press Trust of India brings us a contradicting view from a conservative politician who promptly rebutted the message.
“Racial prejudice and violence resulting from there cannot be dismissed as a country’s internal matter. … even Mahatma Gandhi had begun his political activism by raising a banner of revolt against racial prejudice in a far-off land (South Africa).” Murli Manohar Joshi, Bharatiya Janata Party leaderThe Times of India also calls attention to the situation, asking Indian students to use their intellect instead of their fists when responding to attacks, saying violence...
“…only results in a vicious spiral of competitive hooliganism. Indian students are, or should be, too smart to fall into that trap.”
Finally, ABC News Australia brings Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s perspective, who suggests that the media has blown the attacks out of proportion.
“I wish to request the media to be mindful of the fact that there are over 200,000 Australian citizens of Indian origin. We should… not willy nilly create a situation in which [all expatriate Indians] become targets of racial attacks.”
So is the Indian government taking too soft a tack?
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