Exploition of religions creates sense of discrimination, fuels hatred
PR Dubhashi, The Statesman, Asia News Network, Calcutta
The recent communal riots accompanied by arson, loot and murder in urban as well as rural Gujarat and rural areas of Haryana and Maharashtra have tarnished the image of Indian secularism and the reputation that Hindus have for being tolerant. The social climate is thoroughly vitiated and the atmosphere is surcharged with suspicion and hatred reminding one of the pre-partition days.
The nation is at the edge of a precipice. To prevent the collapse, the nation must withdraw from the path into which it has been led under the influence of misguided elements. What is needed is deep national introspection and a sense of balance and direction. It is the responsibility of those at the helm of affairs in government and in political and social life to provide these. But listening to them on TV and elsewhere they seem to be indulging in divisive politics and mutual recrimination, oblivious of the national interest and the consequences of what they are saying and doing.
In its recent conference in Bangalore, the RSS passed a resolution that the security of the minority community depends on the goodwill of the majority. The resolution was seen as an open threat to the minorities though the spokesman of the RSS tried to explain that it was not meant to be so. The RSS should have realized that it was improper on their part to pass such a resolution. Security is the fundamental right of every citizen guaranteed by the Constitution. It is the responsibility of the state to preserve and protect this right, which does not depend on anybody's goodwill.
Of course the minority community should have the goodwill of the majority but the reverse is also equally true. The majority must have the goodwill of the minority. There should be a sense of mutual trust and cooperation. This is the meaning of the ideal of "fraternity" enshrined in the preamble of our Constitution.
Secularism has been one of the essential elements in the basic structure of our Constitution. While our Constitution has been based on secularism or dharma nirapekshita, our society is steeped in religion. Observance of religious festivals and rituals are part of day-to-day life. Religious feelings govern our thinking. Thus there is a clear contradiction between the basic tenets of our Constitution and the character of our society.
These get reflected in our politics and public administration which often works in a manner contrary to what is envisaged in the Constitution. This, however, is not the first or the only breach in the constitutional provisions regarding secularism. The Representation of the People Act provides that appeals made on the grounds of religion to gather votes would be deemed to be a corrupt practice and would disqualify a candidate but this happens as a rule in all our elections. All political parties use religion to gather votes. This starts from the selection of the candidates taking into account the communal character of the constituency.
A secular party like the Congress joins hands with the Muslim League in Kerala and conjures up a political consortium like Kham in Gujarat on caste and communal lines to provide for a secure electoral victory. The BJP not being known as a secular party has no hesitation in joining hands with the Akalis in Punjab. Parties with religious denominations are allowed to participate in elections. A party like the Shiv Sena, a member of NDA alliance at the Center, openly makes appeals in the name of Hindutva and even the Supreme Court has held in the Dr Ramesh Prabhu vs Prabhakar Kunte case that appealing to voters in the name of Hindutva cannot be construed as inciting religious passions because Hindutva is but a way of life.
The caste and communal character of our politics inevitably enters public administration. While the Constitution envisages secularism in the sense of dharma nirapekshita, our politicians have conveniently interpreted it as sarv dharm samabhav. This has given a license to our politicians holding high positions to freely participate in all religious functions with the official paraphernalia in attendance. Chief ministers and ministers perform official pujas in temples. And when they are not available, highly placed bureaucrats take their place. Deities are installed in government offices and pujas are regularly performed and prasad is distributed. Leave is given to perform namaz during office hours. It is not understood that such practices are out of place in government offices.
Such practices are on the increase because they receive sanction at the highest level. Indira Gandhi started the practice of giving iftar parties for Muslims during Ramazan. Now political leaders vie with each other in throwing lavish parties at national and state capitals and the practice continues even in the regime of a BJP Prime Minister. Wide publicity is given in the media on those who attend these parties and what is served.
Moreover it creates a sense of discrimination. If iftar parties are given why not Diwali parties and Christmas parties? In our secular country we excel in declaring public holidays to observe religious festivals at the cost of public service, which should be the first priority. The haj pilgrimage has also become a part of politics. Ministers lead the pilgrimages of devotees who undertake the journeys with huge government subsidies, which are not available even in Pakistan. This again creates a sense of discrimination and deprivation. Why are Hindu pilgrimages also not subsidized?