Prime Minister Modi is reported to have said the other day while
addressing G20 leaders at Antalya (Turkey), “We need to involve religious
leaders, thinkers and opinion makers for a social movement against extremism,
particularly addressed to the youth” This was needed the most in countries
where extremism was most prevalent, he said, and highlighted the urgency for
promoting broader peace and stability in West Asia and Africa. He also said,
“We don’t have a comprehensive global strategy to combat terrorism. And we tend
to be selective in using the instruments that we have.”
Platitudinous and preachy, his words would not wash with most of his
audience, given the recent adverse reportage in international media from back
home. He seems to have overlooked the apparent radicalization of the Hindu
fringe that has raised its ugly head in recent times True, most of the
reportage was contrived by the so-called liberals and secular elements who do
not let go of a single opportunity to go after Modi but the fact is that the
Hindu extremists, of late, have become more active, intimidating and violent
and Modi seems to have forgotten about them.
Besides, Modi’s words sound somewhat hypocritical as he did not use the
means that he possessed to deal with the terrorism that recently emanated from
the Hindu Right. He cannot wash his hands of saying that the incidents happened
in states ruled by non-BJP parties. The instance of lynching at Dadri and the
later statements by his Minister of Culture did not quite tally up what he said
at Antalya. While initially the minister, Mahesh Sharma, glossed over it by
saying it was “an accident” and, later, a case of “misunderstanding”, there was
no perceptible move from the BJP to admonish him or the hoodlums who went in
strength and lynched an elderly helpless person killing him on the spot on mere
suspicion of having consumed beef. If this is not terrorism what is? True the
state government ruled by a non-BJP party has treated the incident as a matter
relating law and order but what of the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party)? It
seemed to provide a protective umbrella to those under the leadership of whom
the highly condemnable act was perpetrated. Wasn’t it a case of selective
non-use of the instruments the Party possessed to discipline its foot soldiers?
As no serious note was taken of
the “unfortunate incident” (this is how PM Modi described the Dadri incident)
another incident soon followed at Delhi. Kerala House in Delhi had to be raided
by the Police on a complaint of keeping beef on offer in the menu of its
canteen. The Police found the complaint untrue and yet no action was taken
against the Hindu activists by the BJP or its sister Hindu radical
organizations for trying to arouse communal passions. In any case, consuming
beef is no crime unless it is banned by an order of the state which, if
imposed, would not be quite secular. A cow may be holy for Hindus, that does
not mean people of other communities should treat it likewise. India is a
country of multiple religions, multiple sects, multiple tribes and multiple
communities of different castes and creeds. If Hindus do not eat beef, others
would perfectly be within their rights to consume it unless it is banned by the
state. The policing by the Hindu fringe elements in this matter, therefore, is
reprehensible as they thus encroach on the freedom of others. For this kind of
intimidatory behavior they should be hauled up under the country’s criminal
laws.
This was not the end of it all. An unabashed threat was issued to the
well-known play-write and theatre-person Girish Karnad reportedly for
supporting the celebration of the birth anniversary by the Karnataka government
of Tipu Sultan, the 18th Century feudal ruler of Mysore. Hue and cry
was raised against the government’s decision by the Hindu fringe and for
supporting the celebration it gave Karnad a death-threat. They said he would
meet the same fate as one Kalburgy, a Hindu rationalist, who was gunned down,
as is now evident, by the Hindu extremists.
Ever since BJP came to power the Hindu Right became more aggressive and
its representatives in the BJP also started talking in a manner that was
out-and-out communal. The utterance of a few members of Parliament from BJP
caused deep embarrassment to it. This had been happening during all the past
eighteen months but what happened in recent months was more aggressive and
violent. No wonder, the so-called liberals made a song and dance about it.
Writers and authors, scientists, artists, film-makers, et al launched a
campaign of “award-wapsi” (return of state awards) as a measure of protest to
the government. International media was flooded with features by the country’s
liberal (sometimes biased) journalists communicating to the wide world that
India had become a highly intolerant society under Modi, stifling freedom of
thought , speech and action and that the country’s age old pluralistic
tradition had been ruptured. One recalls a highly motivated talk by an
award-returnee, Ashok Vajpayi in Canada in which he talked of the growing
intolerance in India and ran down the Hindu Religion.
The sentiments of disaffection and alienation seemed to have risen in a
crescendo all of a sudden because of several unseemly incidents. While
elimination of free-thinkers was something certainly unheard of, religious
violence was nothing new to the country. And, then consumption of beef became
an issue and a debate raged about it. The print and electronic media also
fanned the flames. It appeared that the country was in turmoil and had become
unsafe for minorities and those who did not subscribe to Hindutva. The
apologists for the government claimed the Opposition in the Parliament and its
sympathizers had planned and fabricated the issues to embarrass the BJP and its
Government at the Centre. That may have been true but only partially, as their
own Hindu loudmouthed hotheads played no mean role in provoking the people to
mount concerted protests.
Those of us who were apolitical and had nothing to do with any of the
political parties watched in dismay their dreams of a developed and rising
India crumbling. Manmohan Singh’s was a decade lost to corruption and
paralysis. They had voted for Modi as they felt that neither Manmohan Singh nor
Sonia or Rahul Gandhi could ever take the country forward. It was only Modi,
they felt, who could tear away the political or bureaucratic cobwebs to march
ahead. He had no axes to grind; not only he was incorruptible, he also had a
vision for the country. His decisive manner of functioning held out promises of
development and progress.
Thankfully for them, the
“award-wapsis” and the debates on “religious intolerance” ceased suddenly soon
after the Bihar polls where BJP got a sound thrashing. Seems like the liberals and
the lefties were aiming at keeping BJP out of Bihar. And, numerous election
rallies of Modi could not pull it out of the morass that the Hindu roughnecks
had pushed it into.
Modi had asked people for two
terms in office for achieving his vision for the country. For that to happen he
will have to live up to his words uttered in Antalya and be more proactive and
deal with the Hindu hotheads with an iron hand. Or else, he will be done in by
them again in 2019
*Photo:from the net.
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