Political Diary
New Delhi, 5 July 2008
Towards Brazen
Communalism
NATION’S INTEREST
TAKES A BACK SEAT
By Poonam I Kaushish
It never ceases to surprise how our polity is swiftly
sinking into the marshy cesspool of politics. Wherein, their world-view and vision
ends just at the tip of their opponent-of-the-moment’s nose. If yesterday the
sky-rocketing price rise and the rising inflation were due to the faulty
financial management of the erstwhile BJP-led NDA Government, today the
worsening global oil crisis, simple land transfers and international treaties
have been bloodied and singed by religious intolerance. Tragically, the
pseudo-secular wheel seems to have turned a full circle. Clearly, communalism
is once again the cause celebre this
week.
In the past fortnight communal hatred barred its poisonous
blood-soaked fangs over an innocuous order by the J&K Government
transferring 39.88 hectares of forest land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board to
erect temporary shelters for thousands of pilgrims who annually trek to the
Himalayan cave shrine. Predictably, all hell broke loose with the Muslim-majority
Kashmir reacting violently. A section of the
Kashmiri Muslims, led by the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders alleged the
land transfer was aimed at changing the demography of the region and a “ploy to
turn Muslims into a minority in Kashmir.”
Unsurprisingly, the Congress-led Government of Ghulam Nabi
Azad hastily revoked the transfer order, which, in turn, provoked an angry
backlash from the Hindus, with Jammu
burning amidst large-scale violence and protests. The BJP seized the
opportunity and the issue to turn the tables on the Congress Government by
alleging that it had given into the Muslim separatists’ demand and the
“anti-Hindu” nature of the revocation order. In addition, its spokesperson said,
“Some forces in the Valley say that allotment of land to the Shrine Board would
alter the demography. In fact, it is the separatist forces that changed the
demography by driving away the Kashmiri Pandits from there”.
Presenting itself as the defender of secularism and
democracy, the BJP and its Sangh Parivar has willy-nilly decided to use the
land transfer issue as a major Hindutva plank to campaign against the
Congress-led government at the Centre and in the Valley. How? Simple, call for
a nation-wide bandh, no matter that
it would drive a further wedge between the Hindu-Muslim communities and affect
normal life. While Indore continues to burn, parts
of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,
Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Assam and
Jharkand witnessed incidents of stone pelting and road blockade, prompting the police
to resort to lathicharge.
Like it or not, the BJP hit the bull’s eye when it alleged
that the Congress had taken vote-bank politics to a new level and was now
playing communities against each other. The Grand Dame of politics and its
secular cahoots, both at the Centre and the State were hard-pressed to present
a totally weak and unconvincing explanation that the decision to revoke the
land transfer order was not ‘communal’. Really, they could have fooled me.
No matter that all were playing the vote-bank card with
elections to State Assembly due this November, if not earlier, and the General
elections next year. For the Congress revocation of the order was in line with
its ‘secular’ image and reasoning and gave a further impetus to its secular
credentials and would keep its UPA ‘secular’ allies happy and together. On the
obverse, for the BJP, the order would help it win over regional parties as partners
also. The Party has been careful not to merely focus on the emotive aspects,
but look at the issue as one that jeopardises the country’s secular nature. Thus,
it is a win-win situation for all.
Scandalously, the communal battle does not end here. It has,
for the first time, taken a bizarre turn where international government treaties
are now being given the communal flavour and presented as anti-Muslim or
pro-Muslim deal. Instead of the country debating the fracas over the Indo-US
nuclear deal, whether it is in the best
national interest or not it has now been hijacked by the so-called ‘secular’
parties, who have dressed it up as a coy bride ready to take India into the new
world order.
Before you applaud, not to be outdone, another set of
secular parties, read Left and the BSP are behaving like the communal party
poopers by asserting that the N deal is anti-Muslim. Asserted the BSP’s
Mayawati, the deal is anti-Muslim. 'This deal is
being done at the cost of forgoing cheap fuel from Iran. Muslims are strongly opposed
to the deal.” Adding, “The Congress and the
Samajwadi Party are joining hands to build a united force in UP,” thus making
sure that the two don’t have an easy ride. Not only that. To rub in her point Mayawati
has met Shia and Sunni clerics who have applauded her stand against America.
Importantly, it is all about political survival not
national interest. A political ploy to divide people on religious lines and gain
votes! See how sworn enemies have now turned friends. The Samajwadi supremo
Mulayam Singh broke his four-year impasse with Sonia Gandhi and went calling on
her. And after their
30-minute meeting appeared convinced that the nuclear deal was in the interest
of the country! Asserted Mulayam, “We opposed it (nuclear deal), as we did not
have any new details. But now these new details have come." What details?
And, does it only take 30 minutes to undo three years of prejudice against the
deal.
No matter that, the SP buttressed its argument by stating
that it had been convinced by former president A P J Abdul Kalam’s elaborate
explanation about the benefits of the deal and he had allayed their fears about
national sovereignty or foreign policy being compromised. The deal, feels
Mulayam now will be useful for medicine and agriculture besides being clean
source of power.
However, the game was finally up when Amar Singh made plain
his views by stating "communalism (BJP) is a bigger danger than the
nuclear deal". Needless to say, the Party’s 39 MPs in Lok Sabha would be
crucial for Government’s survival following the Left parties’ withdrawal of support.
Alas, the Amarnath controversy and the signing of the nuclear
deal with the US,
reveal that the so-called secular or communal parties are rolled in one. For
power, they will go to any extent. There is no desire to uphold equal respect
for various faiths. Instead unashamedly use religion to increase their
so-called popularity with voters. Tragically, our netas seem to suffer no sense of guilt or qualms of conscience. They
must think beyond vote-bank politics and look at the perilous implications of
their decisions. The country is being pushed towards brazen communalism,
ignoring national interest.---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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