Shiban Khaibri
“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal tolerance but we accept all religions are true.” (Swami Vivekananda)
The question as to why post 2014 , the compelling need gradually started being felt by most of the political leaders in the opposition across the country to declare openly through various modes that they also were Hindus but not like those who “divided” the society . This alone probably did not work and most of those ones falling in the group of successively having being chagrined due to electoral debacles started giving demonstrations publicly supported by photo-ops and media glare visiting temples, one after the other in a row, offering puja and sporting tilak as also donning at the moment Bhagwa attire which otherwise is reminiscent of peace, detachment , renunciation , abdication and spirit of “Tyag”. This all again seemed to be not working in the minds of millions of those who recalled how those very leaders used to be taking pot shots at anything associated with Hindu rites, rituals and festivals even branding these as obsolete orthodoxies or extreme rightist tendencies. So as the tug -of- war being on and new goal posts being fixed by all such leaders, they want to do much more – be it even a departure from the “maryada” or the tradition by sporting the sacred thread or the janeau worn over the coat or the jacket all as theatrics and not due to real devotion or for any atonement or remorse .
This sacred thread, needless to add, is worn from the left to the right shoulder and crossing the chest and must necessarily touch the wearer’s bare body . How would the voter know that so and so political leader was a Hindu whose party even had gone to the extent of committing blasphemy by negating the existence of Maryada Purshotam Shree Ram and whose party on affidavit swore that Ram Setu was not a matter of faith but a “geographical issue” and that there was “Hindu Terror” and that “India was not threatened by the terror outfits like JeM, LeT, HM, SIMI etc but by Right wing Hindu terror” . It is entirely another thing that such a manufactured threat could not be identified , exposed and brought to justice till date . Remember, the Draft Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Repatriations) Bill 2011 brought in by the National Advisory Council led by Sonia Gandhi and other members on it being Harsh Mandar, Farah Naqvi and Aruna Roy which had enough in it to not only exacerbate communalism but destroy the foundations of the federal structure of the country . It was all claimed to “protect a community that was in minority in a particular region – vulnerable to attack by more powerful members of the society.” Not only that the “effective compliance” was to be seen not by courts but by an “independent” National Authority . How much was the Draft Bill impartial and with “secular and federal” credentials can be seen by how one of its architects openly revolted against the judiciary , even the Supreme Court and exhorted people to “decide things on roads” during the diabolically organised anti CAA protests .
Ominous interpretations to the CAA itself with heaps of rancour against not only on the ruling political leaders and other socio-cultural and patriotic organisations etc but even most provocative slogans including some “Azaadi” chants were all treated as service to democracy by most of the pseudo seculars who now are frantically struggling to be counted among the Hindus, is all astonishing. What was the role of Mamta Ji then – knowing fully that her state had been flooded by the Bangladeshi and Rohingya illegal immigrants with larger designs to disturb the demographic equations . Opposing the CAA and supporting perverted and evil designed protests led all to oppose granting citizenship to persecuted and traumatised religious minorities of Islamic countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan , Bangladesh etc in which were also included the Hindu nationals of those countries.
So, now the need, though of late but for the Assembly elections, was earnestly felt by Mamta Banerjee to declare on “cogent” proof that “I am a Hindu Girl”. How to make the audience in Nandigram believe during an election rally, a week ago that she really was “a Hindu girl”, she had to rehearse to learn by heart only to recite sacred mantras from a religious text “Chandipath” and further give an undertaking that before stepping out , she recited it every day. She further said on March 9 that “not only Hindu but she belonged to a Brahmin family.” She went further boasting about knowing more about Hindu Dharma and that “Suvendu Adhikari should not teach Hindu Dharma to me”. Political leaders mostly those doing mockery about the waned and worn out secularism have short memories either genetically or acquired later on, as they progressively graduate into politics and attain necessary skills about its tricks. Only a month back, she had stopped her cavalcade , coming down from her car and warning people against reciting “Jai Shri Ram” and if reports are to be believed, a few were arrested too. Was she not first a Hindu and then a responsible CM like other religionists proudly say . That has become now a necessity otherwise this country has for thousands of years excelled in spreading humanity , human values, philosophy of live and let live and the great belief that all the inhabitants living on the surface of this earth comprise one family .
Four things widely contributed to this “necessity” . One-the aftermaths of partition even after majority community in highest traditions agreeing to making the left out part of the country as secular but the successive Congress governments brazenly indulging in appeasement policies to the extent that Hindus in minority in different states are treated as “majority” but other communities whether in states or at national level both ways are treated as minorities and benefits showered on them. Two – hounding out of the entire ethnic community , the indigenous inhabitants of Kashmir , the biggest human tragedy after the communal partition of the country in 1947 and complete silence of Congress, Communist, TMC, SP, BSP, NCP, DMK , other regional parties and new parties like AAP etc and even after 32 years of exodus and exile, the problem of their return and rehabilitation remaining a quagmire, an unsolved riddle and now the community with high death rates and low birth rates slowly heading towards extinction. Third – sponsored and diabolically designed agitations like against CAA followed by Delhi riots, Bengaluru riots and now the so called Kissan agitation on absolutely no base or ground but on planted fears turning out to be what we saw at Red Fort on Jan 26 and now heading with one aim – to defeat Modi and the BJP as we see presently its offshoots in West Bengal and elsewhere. Four- a well organised, highly sponsored , aggressively carried forward and concerted campaign repeatedly against the RSS. During the last six decades, the tirade against this organisation was not as much as we have been seeing during the last seven years. Godsey and Gandhi, RSS and Gandhi’s murder, Gandhi, Godsey and RSS, Savarkar and RSS and some manufactured ” Mafinaama” tendered by him to the British etc are irritably parroted by known pseudo seculars with untiring and nauseous repetitions, day in and day out .This writer does not hold any brief for the RSS but is the RSS aggressively targeted only because it is being considered to be associated with Hindus only? Why by that standard, these pseudo secular and fake democrats equally do not berate PFI in Kerala and other numerous sectarian and similar organisations associated exclusively with other communities in India? At least, even one tenth of as much tirade against the RSS is not seen or heard against even various terror groups active in the country?
What for is so much hatred and vitriol for Narendra Modi and what is the aim needs to be discussed at the national level and that also seriously. Attack his economic policies, no qualms about that, criticise his administrative policies, underrate his political policies in democratic and dignified ways and on cogent grounds instead of resorting to measures as if to settle personal scores. Yes, under his premiership , negligible Hindu renaissance has taken place . Maryada Parshotam Shree Ram, Holy Gita , Sacred Ganga et-al are souls of this country as also identity of this great country and have been so for thousands of years and if after so many decades of suppression and inflicting of inferiority complex on the otherwise divided but highly tolerant Hindu community , a sort of amelioration if not resurrection in absolute sense, is taking place very slowly , why is the same felt by those so deeply expecting it should have not taken place at all and for which in their view , perhaps Modi is responsible. They, therefore, oppose his every action even if otherwise glorifying and strengthening this country.
If Mamta Ji and some other leaders are now racing among themselves to be proved to be real Hindus – even Brahmins and Datatarya Kaul Brahmins and descendants of Kashmiri Brahmins and what not , there are reasons for it but it all being confined to the short period of election fever, expected lack of consistency is what makes all these things as just cheap gimmicks and theatrical idiocies. One thing , however, has now emerged as non optional for all political parties and that is the main majority community , the inhabitants of India for thousands of years , cannot be afforded to be ignored anymore and taken for a ride always in the name of that undefined and ambiguous term of ‘secularism’ and practice of blatant appeasement.
While writing these lines, court decision in respect of Batla House encounter of 2008 is that an accused has been awarded the death sentence and a heavy fine . So, the encounter no longer was fake. This encounter resulted in the martyrdom of one of the bravest police officers Mohan Chand Sharma and the death of two Indian Mujahdeen terrorists . However, a senior cabinet Minister had reported how the Congress President was in tears seeing the photographs of the Batla encounter which was propagated as fake . Even those political leaders who reportedly declared that if the encounter was not proved fake , they would quit politics. Hence, it is to remind them that the moment has come to hang their boots and call it a day. But will they keep the promise?
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