POLITICAL DIARY
New Delhi, 21 March 2009
Hypocrisy Of
Secularism
HATE TALK OR MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING?
By Poonam I Kaushish
Much ado about nothing? Or a hate speech? All depends on which
side of the secular-communal coin one is. Either way on looks at it, the
‘other’ Gandhi scion, Varun who is making his electoral debut from Pilibhit in
UP has pole-vaulted into a political maelstrom.
Leading to the Election Commission ordering the Pilibhit
police to register a case against him under the IPC and the Representation of
the People Act for violating the model code of conduct. A polity, including the
‘main’ Gandhi’s (Aunt Sonia and cousin Rahul), attacking him as communal and a
frenzied media condemning him to the gallows. Exposing as never before the
hypocrisy of secularism.
At the outset, unlike my fellow tribesmen, I really don’t
understand what the brouhaha is about. Don’t get me wrong I am no Hindu
fundamentalist nor do I hold a brief for Varun but I intend playing a devil’s
advocate. To be fair to the young lad, what is so intemperate about his
language that other politicians including seasoned ones have not said before.
One can fault him on his harsh language, innuendoes, call it too blunt for the
political palate or dismiss it as him being as brash as his late father Sanjay
Gandhi.
Questionably, if a candidate who states “Agar kissi galat tatv ke aadmi ne, kisi
Hindu pe haath uthaya ya yeh samajh key ki yeh kamzor hain, unke peeche koi
nahi hai mein geeta ki kasam khake kehta hoon ki mein uss haath ko kaat
daaloonga. (If somebody lifts a hand against Hindus, or thinks they are
weak, there is nobody behind them, I swear on the (Bhagvad) Gita that I will
cut off that hand) is elected would it tantamount to the death of democracy?
That is juvenile to say the least. The voter is not stupid who could be swayed
by electoral speeches.
Remember, the UP Minister who promised a reward of Rs 50
lakhs to anyone who beheaded the Danish cartoonist who showed the Prophet in
bad light. Why were our secular leaders mum? Recall, the hullaballoo by the
Samajwadi Party known for its soft corner for the minority community calling
the killing of the Indian Mujahideen terrorists in Delhi last October by a police
braveheart as a’fake encounter’? And why our the pseudo-secularists silent when
Varun’s aunt Sonia called Narendra Modi “maut
ke saudagar” during her poll campaign during the Gujarat Assembly elections
last year.
Besides, one fails to fathom what is objectionable about
Varun asserting, “Agar koi aadmi aapko
thappad maare, to saale ka haath kat do ki kisi ko phir thappad nahi maar paaye
baad mein.” Yet when NC’s Omar Abdullah said: “Woh hamari zameen (Amarnath)
ka muddha tha. Hum apni zameen ke liye ladhe. Aur hum marte dum tak apni zameen
ke liye ladhenge,” Sonia Gandhi was seen leading her brood in
congratulating him.
Not a few wonder why Indira Gandhi’s grandson taking baby
steps in politics needed to unnecessarily rake up a controversy when he would
have comfortably sailed through and won. Given that Pilibhit has been
well-nursed by his mother Maneka who has been elected four times from there.
With a population of over 70% Hindus, many of Varun’s
sympathizers state that he was trying to restore confidence in the community “living
in fear” and “under siege” as three temples had been vandalized. Which Party
does not make sweeping statements about their vote-banks being marginalised,
they assert.
In fact Varun has exposed the pseudo-secularism espoused by
various parties when he said: Kya yeh
sach nahin hai ki agar kisika naam Bimla Devi hai, to usko kahaa ki dekhenge,
sochenge... pehle paanch hazaar rupaye do... aur agar uska naam hai Saira Bano
ya Begum Hukum Begum toh ushe paisa diya jaata hai…”
It is no secret that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been
doling out innumerable freebies to the minority community over the last 5
years. From asserting that Muslims had the first claim on the country’s
resources, down a multi-sectoral development plan at a cost of over Rs 4,000crore
for 90 minority districts, Rs 80-crore
for pre-matric scholarships and over Rs 45 crore for modernizing madrassa education et al.
Take a 360 degree turn anywhere and minority appeasement
hits you in the face. All in the garb of improving their quality of life (sic)
which translates into “please give me your vote.” Be it the Congress, Laloo’s
RJD, Paswan’s LJP, Mian Mulayam’s
Samajwadi etc. Yet, when Varun espouses
bettering the lot of the Hindus he is accused of giving a hate speech and
dubbed anti-secular. Not only that. All parties chose candidates according to
the creed-caste break-up in a constituency.
Further, aapne gaon
mein jao aur halla karo ki saara Hindu ek tarfa ho jao, chhetra ko Pakistan
hone se bachao!” [Go to your villages and give the call that all Hindus
must unite to save this area from becoming Pakistan…] True, the language may be
at variance but Varun has said nothing different from what the Student Islamic
Movement of India’s (SIMI) goal is: To
create an Islamic state in India. Are we taking action against it? No. And what
about Raj Thackeray’s diatribe against UPwallahs
and Biharis in Maharashtra and his vow to banish them. Why was the ruling
Congress-NCP silent then? Are we losing
all sense of proportion?
Also, the 29-year old author of the ‘Otherness of Self’
outpourings are no different from the former Governor of Assam Gen Sinha’s grim
warning of how the border State was being slowly turned into an Islamic Bangla
Bhoomi by the so-called illegal migrants. With 8 districts already boasting of
a Muslim majority. The difference being that the minority community is dubbed
as ‘illegal migrants’ from Bangladesh. It is no secret that many terrorist have
used the garb of “illegal migrants’ to spread mayhem in the country.
Or a worried neighbouring West Bengal which has upped the
security ante over the mushrooming of innumerable mosques and madrassas on the border with Bangladesh.
Why is it only singling out mosques? More. Not many are aware that a former
senior bureaucrat had submitted a preliminary finding to the Union Home
Ministry of a large number of Muslims coming from Pakistan and settling in the
border areas in the North. All at the behest of Islamabad’s ISI.
And how does one explain that Varun made his speech on 5
March but the CD of his diatribe was released on 16 March? After 12 days? Was the CD being “doctored” and is he a
victim of a political conspiracy, the Gandhi scion alleges. Given that he
claims the voice on the CD is not his and neither the words. Certainly, it did
not set the Ganga on fire nor has it sent communal temperatures soaring between
Hindus and Muslims.
Undoubtedly, all Muslims are not terrorists but it is a fact
that all terrorist have been Muslims. Be it those who perpetrated 9/11 in New
York, 7/7 in London and 26/11 in Mumbai. The obverse holds true too. No quarter
should be given to the goons of Ram Sena, Bajrang Dal and other rabid Hindu
fundamentalist outfits.
Needless to say, this ping-pong over who is secular and who
a communal is scary. When selfish vote banks politics dictate our polity’s
political ideology and their attitude and stance is fashioned according to the
electorate’s diktat then all stand tarred by the same brush. Importantly, no
quarter should be given to those who fan hatred among people and communities.
Be it a Hindu fundamentalist or a Muslim militant. Both are destroyers of the
State, which has no religious entity.
Importantly, our moral angst cannot be selective but should
be just, honourable and equal. We need to bear in mind that India is a big
country with a big heart. There is room for all to live in peace and goodwill.
Most important we need to answer: Are we Hindu Indians or Indian Hindus? Muslim
Indians or Indian Muslims? Tragically, our netagan
in their frenzied pursuit of
political nirvana through separatism
are confusing the voter and pushing
India towards brazen communalism.
Suffice to say we are Indians! --- INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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