Key Metrics

In the corporate sector, a minority shareholder is one who holds less than 10 percent of the shares. The UNO recognizes a minority as being less than two and a half percent of the population in a given region.

In the real world a minority should be a group that at best is less than two or at most five percent of the population in the relevant or affected locality.

In both these cases, to ensure that their voice is heard and their interests taken care of, some extra consideration may be given to them by Law. Though in these days of Social media, when their voice is even otherwise heard loud and clear fairly easily, such a Law may not even be required.

Keeping in mind that an interaction between people, or groups of people, for any benefit, would be local and not across other distant and disconnected populations. Asking for consideration across such distant populations and seeking an average measure across such unconnected populations, only distorts the meaning of minority and leads to biased appeasement and divisive policies or tendencies.

The local group in which the minority may face discrimination differs, based on the context, from local group to local group. For example in the village at the Gram Panchayat level, then at the Town or City at the Corporation level. For electing a ruling body at any level it should be at the respective constituency level. If one is looking at equality of consideration or opportunity of a minority at a Gram Panchayat or District or Assembly/ Parliamentary Constituency or even at State level, then one should only consider the population within the boundaries applicable to decide on who or what is a Minority therein and review such consideration regularly.

For educational institutions and Government jobs it could be at the District or State level in which persons from within groups in locations may reasonably be considered as affected.

In no case, should the meaning of minority be taken as an average of larger populations such as for a State or the Country when the interactions between the groups is only at the local level. Does anyone really believe that local discrimination is affected by the population distributions in distant and uninvolved areas?

If such averaging is resorted to then why stop at the National level, why not consider other Countries in the region or in fact why not the whole world?

Considering a minority group within the area in which such involvement is located, will prevent ‘ghettoizing ‘and divisive calculations. It will also, encourage people to learn to live and work together wherever they may live.

Statistics prove that though Hindus are the majority group in the Country, they are not in majority in many areas and are hence, also, liable to be discriminated against. They too need minority status in such areas. If this is not given to them, it will result in a call for the Hindus to divide themselves into the many sects that exist amongst them and claim minority status for each. Already the Jains and the Ramakrishna Math have done so, and now even the Lingayats in Karnataka are seeking to do so.

Since this is not what we want our Country to become, a congregation of multiple minorities each seeking to differentiate themselves from the general population and claiming special benefits, thus leading to division and yet more divisive claims, we need to re-look at this issue on the lines mentioned above.

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