India’s far-right does not believe in getting the job half-done. Discriminatory orders against the operations of butcher shops across the country’s capital are making rounds on social media for all the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, the buzzing Hindu festival of Navratri has added one more tradition to the list: religious propaganda. Saffron mobs ferociously chanting slogans to celebrate the birth of deity Ram as they unleashed their wrath upon motorcyclists in Muslim neighbourhoods, targetting homes and mosques are the latest horrifying manifestations of a majority allowed to run amok. The disgraceful silence by the state standing as a mere spectator has buried India’s much-talked-about and holier-than-thou talk of secularism well in deep, dark graves. From Sulli Deals to Hijab Ban to Kashmir Files to Navratri Songs, the attacks to divide the vote bank along the communal lines are far too many yet more terrifying than ever before. Of course, religion is nothing more than the tantrums of a toddler because those tugging at the ropes are only interested in politics. By their twisted manipulations on social media, groups like RSS and BJP have their eye on the boiling cauldron of general polls in 2024. Nothing else, nothing less. And the ramifications are for everyone to see. That the most blood-curdling of the recent spate of riots were reported in areas under the rule of PM Narendra Modi’s party was no coincidence. The blessing of those enshrined with the noble task of upholding law and order was a readily-available free hand. With eyes set on the upcoming state polls, the seemingly frenzied are not acting on the whims of savagery, after all. There is something much sinister at play. In the past, issues like Ayodhya and Love Jihad have helped turbo-charge campaigns on days discomforting questions about performance were raised. Future prospects seem similarly daunting. Why waste energy on governance when raising Islamo-fascist flags does the job for you? *