The great achievements of BJP and the PM’s first hundred days in office can be briefly summarized in a few words, the rise of communalism. The PM and the BJP top brass at the Centre may not openly support the bogey of communalism in the form of hate speeches by some people in power but their stoic silence is a proof that they are supporting them indirectly. First, they talked about Hindu Rashtra, then Hindu Culture and now the Love Jihad. All this has come up during the last one hundred days. What is in the minds of the saffron brigade, do they want a theocratic state like our neighbor, Pakistan? Our founding fathers have given us a constitution which states that India is secular state and all its citizens are free to practice a religion of their choice. The religion and state are separate. Those who talk of India as a Hindu Rashtra commit a sacrilege and should not be allowed to get away with it.
Second, what is meant by Hindu Culture? Does it mean language one speaks? Or is it the way one dresses? We have given away the saris and dhotis for dresses, salwar-khamis, shirts and trousers. If we say the language, then India will have as many cultures as there are languages. If culture means food, then we have different cuisines Mughlai, Continental, Thai to Chinese. Culture is transformed down the ages and we cannot talk of Hindu Culture any more. Goa’s culture is influenced by long Portuguese rule. We have a Common Civil Code which is unique to Goa, which our new Government at the centre is planning to introduce across the country, despite strong opposition especially from the Muslim religious community which says it impinges on their religious freedom. Have the Muslims objected to it in Goa? Certainly not. Then why are the Muslims in the rest of the country different from the Muslims in Goa? This shows that Goa has a different culture which is a result of 450 years of colonial rule since 1510. Goans are labeled as susegad, Portuguese word meaning easy going. They enjoy their festivals, music, food, drinks and siesta.
Third, Love jihad is a joke and is a canard spread by some communal elements to cause tensions before the upcoming elections in some states in the country. In one of the TV channels, I heard a comment that a Muslim took a Hindu name to entice a Hindu girl to marry him. One cannot draw a fine line between a Hindu name, a Muslim name or for that matter a Christian name. A lot of Christians in India have Indian names, which are not the exclusive property of the Hindus. There are no patent rights involved here. The trend in Goa in the recent years is to give their children Indian names which also help in national integration.
