B L Saraf
In India, elections to the posts of President and Vice – President have usually been a routine affair, with a predictable outcome. However, 1969 was a unique exception when Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi went against her Party’s Presidential Candidate, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, and propped up V V Giri as an opponent and carried him to the post. To ensure Giri’s victory, she even split Congress party and took great delight in seeing her own Party’s candidate biting the dust. Rest, as they say, is the history.
Barring one or two occasions, tenants of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Vice- President’s lodge had to tread an election path. So, election 2017 was no exception. But what makes this election noteworthy is the defeat of narrative built around it by the opposition parties. Eighteen political parties joined together to challenge the candidates put up by the ruling NDA, for these exalted posts. Elections were portrayed a fight between secularism / pluralism, on one side and forces of ‘ hate’ on the other. Opposition had placed great faith in the countrymen who, according to them, were lovers of ‘ secularism’ and derided those who would vote for the ruling candidates as religious ‘bigots’. Merit and suitability of the persons set up for the high Constitutional positions were sidetracked. Victory of the opposition candidates was sought to be trumpeted as a vote for the ‘enlightenment’ free speech ‘ and religious tolerance ‘: while as all adjectives, in the negative form, were reserved for the ruling party candidates, should they come out triumphant in the elections. For the opposition parties it was not a mere election for the posts but a choice between the ‘Idea Of India ‘ convenient to them and “forces of darkness” which they have been opportunely identifying, time to time.
For the Opposition, these elections were a renewal of pledge to “secularism”, and expected electorate to reaffirm its faith in the pledge. They are yet to come to the terms with PM Narrandra Modi’s victory in 2014 Lok Shaba elections. Opposition parties seem to be blind to the N D A’s tally of 340 plus MPs in the Lok Sabha, and have one eyed focus on 31 percent votes it had garnered . Congress led opposition, in a perverse electoral arithmetic, would set up percentage of votes against the number of MPs, he has, to deny Modi a right to rule according to his agenda.
Latest elections to the highest Constitutional posts in the country have taken wind out of sails of this, perverted, ‘percentage ‘ argument, set up by Congress party and its cohorts . NDA’s Presidential candidate secured 65 % percent votes in the Electoral College as against the combined opposition candidate’s 34 %. Vice President Venkaih Naidu received 68 % votes against 32 % vote’s Gopal krishan Gandhi got. This ratio- proportion issue should finally settle in favor of PM Modi and against the “secular – plural ” narrative. Unfortunately, the opponents don’t want to learn anything.
Even after losing the election with a heavy margin Gopal Krishan Gandhi again harped on the same worn out statement. After grudgingly acknowledging victory of Naidu he lectured, “the votes he secured were affirmation of the right to free thought and speech and the duty to serve pluralism and secularism.” As if whole NDA was against them! When were these basic tenants of our Constitution placed in doubt ; excluding the dark period of emergency declared by Mrs. Gandhi in 1975 – the Queen Mother of present day Congress party who has adopted Mr. Gandhi in 2017?
Election 2017 has unfolded a trend setting pattern. Foremost being the one that hence forth even a common Indian can aspire to reach the highest position of the Indian republic. Then, it has debunked the myth of ‘ Secularism “and disarmed the so called ‘ secular forces ‘ of their artificial armory.
If we take Congress Party’s contention that these elections were a sort of referendum between “secularism” and” non- secularism ” then we have surely seen last of the former. And if we claim victory for “pluralism” on the strength of mere 32 % votes then god save us and our ‘ belief ‘.
No! Real secularism has not lost. And it will never lose in the country of great civilization and history which India indeed is. Yes, the ‘ political secularism’ has lost – perhaps irretrievably. The knowledgeable political theorists have found two types of Secularism prevalent in India – one, Constitutional Secularism and other the Political Secularism. According to them it is the second type of secularism that has been exploited by the politicians of so called ‘secular force ‘ , with a baneful effect on political psychology of the country. This brand of ‘secularism ‘ has led to the minority appeasement – banning of books and persons not to the liking of a particular minority. The Constitutional Secularism is a permanent feature. But corrupt politicians have defaced it by their brazen opportunism. It has to be guarded vigilantly. Let the political secularism, infamously called pseudo secularism, go. No tears need be shed on its demise.
Long live the Constitutional Secularism.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
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