Once again the story follows a familiar pattern. Churches are vandalised. Those affected call for nailing the culprits and stern punishment to the perpetrators. And how does the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh respond? Instead of condemning the crimes, which are now happening with alarming frequency, he echoes the demand of the extreme Hindu groups led by the RSS for a national debate on conversions and the ‘need’ for an anti-conversion law. What is this if not a smokescreen to divert attention from the activists of the Sangh Parivar indulging in anti-social acts? Is Rajnath Singh a spokesman of the RSS or is he the Union Home Minister? Does he need to be reminded of that?
In his capacity as Home Minister, he should deal fairly and firmly with all attempts to disturb the law and order situation. Instead of warning his compatriots in the parivar to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, he is indulging in double speak. Here we have repeated cases of vandalization of churches happening in different parts of the country and spokesmen of the Sangh Parivar openly coming out in support of the attacks. And you have the Home Minister of the country, reacting by speaking about conversions. This is pure hypocrisy. And akin to what is happening in a neighbouring country, where places of worship of minorities are attacked and lives targeted. There are complaints of false charges of blasphemy against the victims by the perpetrators of horrific violence taking precedence over the crimes committed by mobs taking the law into their own hands.
Are happenings in India now taking the same route? The familiar refrain that the victims were indulging in forcible conversions is a ploy to justify the fascists taking the law into their own hands. These tactics are similar to what the Nazis in Hitler’s Germany used to target the Jews and their properties. They aroused hatred against a helpless and innocent community that finally was almost wiped out in Europe in a genocide unprecedented in history. Does Rajnath Singh and the BJP government realise where all this could lead to? Or is the Home Minister knowingly complicit? If the Union Government does not come out unequivocally against the fascist forces that are raising their heads, we could see this country being taken over by lumpen elements of the extreme Hindu right-wing groups led by the RSS.
The BJP government should remember that it has been voted to power on the basis of its promises to eradicate corruption, ensure good governance and bring about rapid economic development in the country and nothing else. If it chooses instead to pursue a highly divisive agenda, it will be responsible for the consequences that would follow. PM Narendra Modi and his government should be aware of that and stick to its pre-election promises and not deviate, whatever the compulsions.
