Daily Times

Congress party being impassive against the Hindutva ideology is making a historic mistake which will cost the country and lead to disastrous consequences.

The conflict essentially does not exist between nation states immersed in power games, it is increasingly evident between religious or ethnic groups, within nation states. The case of a Hindu-Muslim dispute is the case in point. It is considerably worrisome when communal conflict takes place in a secular country like India then its tall assertions remain show-off. Secularism promises alike treatment to all. Nonetheless existing political scenario gives the impression that India is moving away from secularism.

Muslims before independence were fearful and skeptical about an undivided India that Hindus would dominate and that they would be marginalized after the departure of the British. But today’s situation is proving yesterday’s worries right; Indian Muslims are being bullied by Hindu extremist parties with a carte blanche given by the Modi led government. Before the partition, they were already forewarned by prophetic Muslim leaders regarding the dark future in India. In this day and age, India is the largest democratic country in the world and is being affected by the wave of Hindutva. Umpteen attempts in recent five years have been made to create a ‘Hindu rashtra’ (nation), and appease Hindu hardliners not to lose their strong vote bank.

At the outset, the minorities were assured by the founding fathers of India that the country would adopt secularism in its affairs. Jawaharlal Nehru placed before the world an ideal secular state by his assiduity and hard work. Nehru was able to win the confidence of minorities with his commitment towards secularism. At this time India witnessed nonpareil tragic communal unrests. It was Nehru and the congressmen  who fought Hindu nationalism. But the cohesion force of secularism started to slip after  Nehru’s demise in 1965. It slipped from its center line when Rajiv Gandhi tried to win over the extreme side of both parties, giving assent to demand ‘family law’ by Muslima. After demolition of Babri Mosque in 1992, the exhibition of the frailty of the congress in carrying its conviction forward, resulted in the rise of BJP which was preaching Hindutva in an attempt to purify the Hindu culture across the country. At last, it reached the corridors of power in 1998.

Congress along with other Secular Indian parties is not as expressive against the hinduisation as they should be. It is not the success of Hindu extremist parties achieved through the capitalization of anti-minority feelings but it is actually the failure of congress and other secular parties which do not address the miserable position of minorities in India

With emergence of BJP, Minorities particularly Muslims were under attack and have been victimized since then. It reached unprecedented levels when Yogi Adityanath became the chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who is a staunch Hindu priest who is firm about the Hindutva implementation. No other non-Hindu community is the target of so much adverse attention of the Yogi governmental setup. Cities and places bearing Muslim names are particular targets to be re-christened. Renaming of Allahabad city, the judicial capital of UP, in recent days was part of that plot to purify Hindu society. Allahabad (abode of God) is the home city of Jawaharlal Nehru who was the epitome of secularism. He not only put his country on the track to secularism but also provided a platform for the non-alignment movement to the Third world countries in the cold war period.  It is being claimed by Hindu Fundamentalists that Allahabad city carries religious importance where the confluence spot of three rivers occurs but it was renamed by Akbar the mughal emperor.

On the flip side, the critics are of the view that it was a calculated attempt to upset the peace and placate Hindu hardliners. This is clearly an election gimmick to polarize the minority vote, thus they want to adhere to the power as Elections of 2019, are drawing near. Logic does not indicate that the Mughals destroyed sacred places of the Hindu religion and changed their names. If it held a modicum of truth then it was an era of invasion and monarchs.

Already the intolerance violence in the country has increased. The current government in India also withdrew cases linked to the 2013, communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. In these riots, 62 died and thousands lost their homes. If any incident goes scot -free then it inevitably emboldens the perpetrators in the future. Disturbances might comparatively increase in frequency and scale as well.

In the same manner, Congress along with other Secular Indian parties is not as expressive against the hinduisation as they should be. It is not the success of Hindu extremist parties achieved through the capitalization of anti-minority feelings but it is actually the failure of congress and other secular parties which do not address the miserable position of minorities in India. If congress does not wholeheartedly show any political activism in encouraging secularism in the country, then democratic India may become Hindu India. It is high time for Congress to pursue a course of correction and go back to the actual vision and values that it once inspired.

The writer can be reached at mominali38@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 27^th 2018.