Intro: The vote bank politics has such a big impact that the so called socialists and torch bearer of social justice get confused when they have to choose between Muslim and Dalit vote bank.
Over the past few months there is an upsurge in communal tension in the states ruled by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its allies, and despite the fact that maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state government, the newly elected National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is being held responsible by a certain section of politicians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following his development agenda and therefore the so called champions of secularism are worried that if he is able to transform the nation then they will never be able to come to power again. The desperation has resulted into a “Grand Secular alliance” in Bihar where arch rivals like Lalu and Nitish came together to stop the saffron brigade. Even Mamata Banerjee in Bengal invited Communists to join hands and form a grand league. Concerns are being raised that the unity and plurality of the nation is in danger and all the secular forces should join their hands together to stop the Hinduisation of India.
Recently held Parliamentary elections saw unprecedented youth vote for a change. The victory of Bharatiya Janata Party pointed at the failure of the Congress to deliver in the past ten years. Since Assembly elections in the major states like Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir are approaching, having nothing concrete to offer to the public, UPA is back with the secular agenda. They know it well that their politics can thrive only when there is deep division between the communities.
In their secular drive, self-proclaimed secular institutions have left no stone unturned to malign the image of organisations like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Sangh Parivar but to their surprise the Sangh Parivar is becoming more relevant with every passing day. The Opposition is so confused that it is undecided about which line it should follow- should it be the agenda of development or of secularism.
Growing fanaticism in any community is something which raises the alarm bell over the integrity of the nation. We’ve already learnt a lesson when radical forces were successful in the creation of another nation in 1947. If any political party is worried about the welfare of the Muslims then they should have also raised concerns over youth from India joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) to fight the holy war in Iraq!
On one side our pseudo secular leadership turns a blind eye towards the activities of the radical elements of the Muslim community, on the other hand, they devise fancy phrases like “Saffron terror” to create fear among the Muslims to safeguard their votes. Baseless accusations have been made on the leaders of Hindu outfits and the investigating agencies have been directed to follow the line chosen by those who want to artificially balance the menace of Islamic terrorism by using the word “Bhagwa Aatankwad”. They need to understand that Bhagwa is the symbol of tolerance and inclusiveness and that they will never succeed in linking it with terrorism.
Dalits were beaten and their women were harassed in Moradabad (UP) but those who claim to be leaders of this section didn’t come forward for fear of losing vote bank and this certainly cannot be called secularism. We also saw lowest level of appeasement politics when a leader from the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was defending the gang rape and forcible conversion of girl in a Madarsa in UP. Meanwhile, fanaticism has not put only Islam in danger but the unity of the nation is also at stake. Earlier, the wave of separatism was limited to Kashmir only but now, it can be seen in many other parts of the country.
There is a big difference between secularism and appeasement. Being secular means treating all the religions equally and should therefore be based on the principles of impartiality. It is unfortunate then if talking about inclusive development is termed as communal while saying that a particular community has first right over the national resources is termed as secular. So called messiah of Muslim community must remember that they have enjoyed vote bank politics since Independence and it’s time they should answer what they have done for the betterment of this community. And prominent Muslim leaders should also come forward and help their community to join the mainstream.and not get confused about their secular credentials.
Shshank Saurav (The writer is a Chartered Accountant )
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