Concerns Over Refugee Integration and Tradition

Stop talking about tradition and humanity.

We are the ones who speak of humanity and tradition, and we are the ones who get

crushed.

If we accept what the clan chief Bhurigava, who speaks of developing relations between two nations,

says,

then the citizens of Taxila should be certain

that Taxila, too, will soon appear decrepit, divided into fragments.

The foreigners you are talking about granting asylum to,

will tomorrow claim rights over Taxila's land as well.

Invoking the humanitarianism by which you are planning to grant them asylum,

the land of those same humanitarians will tomorrow

be stained by conflicts of religion and caste.

It will turn red

and no humanitarian on earth

will stop the swords raised for those conflicts.

Tomorrow, these refugees will sit with you in the civic assembly and influence your

decisions.

Do not tarnish traditions in the name of religion and caste,

Ripudaman.

Accept the truth, Bhurigrava. When Taxila's future is at stake,

there is no place for emotions.

Our religion is different, our language different, our customs different. Tomorrow,

there will be discrimination in the name of these very differences, and conflict.

If we do not want to abandon our traditions, will they abandon their

traditions?

Tomorrow, these very refugees will become an integral part of your kingdom

and sitting before you, they will demand their so-called rights.

Then your humanitarian heart will hesitate to take up arms against them.

will. Can the council assure me

that

Gandhara will not be divided tomorrow because of the refugees?

Can any citizen assure me that tomorrow these very refugees will return to their

homeland?

Is the council itself convinced

that, in the name of resettling refugees, the government will not impose new

tax burdens on the people of Takshashila?