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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