Most of Europe and America are overwhelmingly Christian countries but have wisely preferred to remain secular with the State and religion completely separated from each other. The State there does not decide what the citizens should eat and drink. Insisting that religion is a personal matter which should have no place in politics, Mahatma Gandhi had declared that it was unpatriotic even to nurse the dream of a Hindu Rashtra. He struck to the principal that there should not be any State Religion even if the whole community has one religion. Gandhi believed in a secular State where citizens have the right to profess their religion and live their lives without let or hindrance; so long as they obeyed the law of the land.
When Apollo 11s ‘Eagle’ landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, astronaut Aldrin Buzz took out the communion kit and administered to himself the Christian sacrament of Holy communion before setting foot on the lunar surface. NASA had permitted him to profess his faith but the historic event remained a private affair and a secret for many years. It is this inclusive ideology where the State understands its duty of ensuring that the minorities do not feel alienated that make countries great and strong in unity.
On the morning of May 23, 2019, as I reached the local store to collect some provisions, Pandey, the Rajasthani owner was already celebrating by distributing ladoos to his regular clients. But I had jumped to the wrong conclusion; he wasn’t celebrating Modi’s victory; his son Arjun had passed out with distinction! Knowing my political inclinations, Pandey gave me two ladoos; perhaps one to overcome my sadness!
I would have been happy if all the 542 Lok Sabha seats had gone into Prime Minister Modi’s kitty based on his track record and performance. But if they got much of the massive mandate by stroking the Hindutva under currents, it is indeed a sad day for India. The road to heaven is full of obstacles; the other one is the easiest and it’s also easy to lead people down this road by pandering to their basic human instincts.
Still munching on the ladoo, I headed to the nearby bank. The long queue at the cash counter was hardly moving… The helpless looking lady cashier was throwing up her hands in despair at regular intervals blaming the awfully slow Internet speed for the logjam even as someone shouted ‘Digital India’ in palpable frustration. By noon the ladies in the queue turned restless and started grumbling; they had to cook for the family and put food on the table! Much to the relief of the gents and the lady cashier, a smart alec at the end of the queue seized the opportunity and succeeded in instigating the ladies to stage a walkout in protest!
In 2014, overcoming his controversial past, Modi succeeded in presenting himself as a messiah of development and progress. But Prime Minister Modi’s track record on the economic front has been lacklustre to say the least. Although he hastened in strong reforms that were already in the pipeline, the implementation was so poor that the common people are still suffering the after effects. Not surprisingly, this time around Modi and his brigade did not mention ‘achhe din’ or ‘Vikas’ even in the passing. It was obvious from the beginning that the far Right Wing Party was not trying to secure an electoral victory by convincing Indians on its strong social/economic agendas but by fomenting religious prejudices. In short, by rigging the majority Hindu minds! BJP’s massive propaganda machines managed to brand the secular political parties as anti-Hindu and eventually turned the tables on them.
The ideology which claims the divine right of the majority to rule the minority according to their wishes was present even during the time when the Constitution of India was being framed. But the great visionary leaders of those times ensured that better sense prevailed as internal strife resulting from a theocratic rule would ultimately destroy the nation. The constituent assembly formed after India’s independence was also not blind to the fact that religion and politics formed a lethally destructive combination. Members like JP Narayan had in fact even advocated the incorporation of articles prohibiting the use of religious institutions for political purpose or setting up political organisations on religious basis.
From about the 12 century, Europe went through the renaissance movement against the domination of the Christian church and the priestly class in State affairs that progressively secularised European society. By encouraging a rational scientific view of life, it opened up the way for the growth of science, development and progress. What is happening in India at the moment, with religious dogmas dominating State politics, is just the opposite. We need to learn from the developed world from where we borrow technology and where our ministers go for treatment.
From Mahatma Gandhi to terror accused Sadhvi Pragya, the soul of India seems to have progressively eroded. Today we have at least one Member of Parliament who has indirectly called Mahatma Gandhi a villain by referring to his assassin Nathuram Godse as a patriot. Obviously, these characters are playing out a set script to test the waters for a bigger agenda. Interestingly, soon after Modi’s victory, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s portraits were unveiled across the country including the one in the Goa Legislative Assembly. The Mahatma though is still smiling bright from crisp currency notes even as his place remains uncertain in the emerging picture.
India can never be as weak and vulnerable as when it’s dividend within itself. Nepal was the only Hindu State until 2008 and all that the country has produced over the years are ‘chowkidars’! Now that we have a separate ‘Make in India’ ministry, we need to look beyond religious dogmas to move ahead.
Let’s hope the Prime Minister lives up to his improvised slogan “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas” both in letter and spirit and prove his detractors wrong.
