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Ayodhya Verdict:INDIA EMBRACES SECULAR FUTURE, by Poonam I Kaushish,1 October 2010 Print E-mail

Political Diary

New Delhi, 1 October 2010

Ayodhya Verdict

INDIA EMBRACES SECULAR FUTURE

By Poonam I Kaushish

 

The Gods have had their way, say and come out trumps. The Ayodhya dispute which had became synonymous with Hindu-Muslim tensions and repeatedly frayed India’s secular fabric is settled as of now. The nation has moved on. Serenading the triumph of the rule of law and judiciary. 'Ishwar Allah tero naam, sabko sanmati de bhagawan.'

The Allahabad High Court order, after 60 long years, on Thursday last, pronounced that the place where the Babri masjid stood before it was razed in 1992 was indeed the birthplace of Lord Ram. Further, the land be divided equally into three parts among the Hindus, Nairobi Achaea and the Sunni Waif Board. Indeed, it put to rest Muslim claims that as the disputed structure was built by Babar they alone had lien on the land.  

True, the 8,000-page judgment has not resolved the row as the Sunni Waqf Board plans to move the Supreme Court, but it has certainly cast some light on the title claims. Whether the disputed structure was a mosque, when was it built and by whom, was the mosque built after demolishing a Hindu temple etc.  

Significantly, there are four lessons to be learnt from the Ayodhya battle. One, the issue has lost its potency as a new generation considers it a non-issue and eagerly embraces the dawn of a resurgent vibrant emerging nation. Two, the people have shown their inherent maturity. There were no untoward incidents, fiery and inciting speeches, celebration or despondency.

Three, the judgment will go a long way in becoming a catalytic agent to integrate India and make it a cohesive whole. Last but not least, it will strengthen the basic features of the Constitution and the confidence of the people, especially of the minorities, on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. The judgment underscore that the judiciary is competent, not influenced by any considerations and has the courage to decide each and every sort of dispute, other than those which are recognised by the law of the land

The moot point: Will the judgment be a soul cleanser for out netagan? Will they stop using religion as a hand maiden to serve their petty, parochial political ends? Importantly, it has driven the final nail in the coffin of our polity who has mastered the deceitful art of using religion per se as their vote-bank excelsior. Wherein the secularists, pseudo-secularists and communalists are all rolled into one.

Neither should we strain our secular credibility. Being secular does not negate religion or beliefs. Mahatma Gandhi prefaced his daily prayer meetings with Ram Dhun and repeatedly talked of bringing about Ram Rajya as the ultimate in good Government. He understood the dominant sentiment of India better than anyone else.

The irony of the situation is that our pseudo-secularism has come a full circle at Ayodhya. Whereby, centuries of old culture and heritage was reduced to one small dot and a non-descript monument brought an entire nation to a frenzied standstill. This was not the doing only of the voodoo magic of the Advanis, Ashok Singhals or the Uma Bharatis. They were aided and abetted by the Congress, Janata Dal, CPM, Muslim League and all the sundry political parties who have shamelessly used, misused and politicised Hinduism to tailor to their ambitious needs. Where one man’s opium is another’s poison.

Think. Mosques, make-shift temples, gurdwaras are randomly sprouting around at roadsides across the country. But dare the powers-that-be touch them and all hell breaks loose. Sadly, our polity is too scared of being at the receiving end of not religious wrath but vote-bank anger. Times out of number it has adroitly played one community against the other to serve its narrow-minded ends. India is not Saudi Arabia where the sacred Kabaah can be bombed and graves shifted for road widening.

At another level, the judgment means different things to different players. The ruling Congress prefers to hedge its bets, adopted a middle path and is maintaining equidistance. After making a breakthrough by winning 20-odd Lok Sabha seats in UP it overtly shows no emotion lest the country's Muslim community which it is trying to wean back, misreads the signs as a pro-Hindu bias.

Besides, a shrill Hindu campaign could upset Congress’ plans to create a political ambience where neutral issues gain traction. Congress feels that it can perform exceedingly well when emotional issues are not allowed to play out. Its leadership has been concentrating on livelihood issues in recent months with considerable success

The BJP hopes to derive political mileage out of the judgment. Specially in UP where it has been marginalized over the last few years. But, with its Government in eight States, the Sangh Parivar’s main concern is to ensure that no politically “incorrect” noises are made. Its message: “There is a commitment to build a Ram Temple at Ayodhya, but that must happen through consensus and not through violence”. A starkly different BJP from what it was during Advani’s rath yatra from Somnath that ended with the fall of the disputed structure at Ayodhya on  6 December 1992.

The silence of Mulayam Singh, who has suffered erosion in his Muslim vote-bank is intriguing. Ditto the case with RJD’s Lalu. As for BSP’s Mayawati, she sits pretty in Lucknow, holding the cards close to her chest and will take a political call at the time of her choosing.

Regardless of the immediate fall-out of the Ayodhya issue reverting to the political arena, a word of caution. Our ruling elite need to avoid surreptitious private deals and games of one-upmanship. More important, it cannot abdicate its responsibility to govern, instead of willy-nilly playing footsie with the pujaris and maulvis.

Why do present-day politicians seek refuge behind court verdicts to take a stand on political issues? This abdication of its own responsibility undermines the very foundations of democracy. If the political leadership hands over the responsibility for decisions on all manners of issues --- from the fate of a place of worship to the telecasting of a cricket match --- to the Court then it is, in effect, transferring to the judiciary its own functions as the executive. That ought never to happen. The executive, after all, is duly elected by the people to govern. The judiciary on the other hand, is neither expected nor competent to exercise executive powers.

Tragically, the recent judgments are a pointer to the harsh reality that the politician has grievously lost his political authority over the public minds. The causes for this are all but apparent. One, the politics of manipulation resorted to by the politicians, ignoring basic values and principles. Two, the combination of politics and religion, resulting in communal politics is a most dangerous cocktail and should be ended.

We need to remember that India is a pluralistic society where Hindus and Muslims have to live and die together. Those at the helm of governance must desist from showing a bias towards any faith as it could seriously strain inter-religious relations. People across all castes and communities are now craving for progress and development. Clearly our polity has to desist from playing ducks and drakes with the aam aadmi’s religious beliefs. It is only through sheer force of political will and authority that a Government can bring about communal harmony for the betterment of a future India. Can it deliver?  --- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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