- Details
- Written by S.K. Azad , Edited by Bharat Bhushan
- Category: RSS Media Cell , Jharkhand Wing
Conspiracy of maligning the spirit of secularism in India
Ranchi, 13 June : Covid-19 crisis has given new vigour to the dying consciousness of some media houses and their associated people who always conspire to malign Indian secularism. Ironically they are projecting the democratic elected ruling party as a ‘one man party’ (Modi Government, which is elected by the Indian ‘demos’ for the second term with the landslide victory) and deliberately calling it as Hindu Nationalist, Anti- Muslim, Tyrannical Majoritarianism etc. This is the insult of our parliamentary system.
The reason behind this propaganda is deep rooted. Tablighi Jamaat issue and their irresponsible behaviour during covid-19 is neither a first case nor the last one for which the ruling government is being accused for the mal- handling of the situation. These media houses has used ‘card stacking’ while reporting about the Triple- talaq issue, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), amendment in Article 370, decision of Ram Mandir and so and so on. The Print (10th April 2020) writes, “secularism is dead in India” and “Islamophobia is everywhere in New India”. Before this, The Times magazine (3rd April 2020) has produced venom, “200 million people in a nation of 1.3 billion feels increasingly targeted by the ruling Hindu nationalists”. The same magazine quotes from the account of A. Appadurai “India is a very dangerous place for Muslims even apart from the coronavirus.” This is very unfortunate.
What comes first, Nation or Religion?
In light of this discussion rationally and logically this point is obscure. A country who gives fundamental rights to all her citizens without any odd; a country who is the benevolent recipient of millions of legal and illegal migrants since decades (especially Muslims from her neighbourhood); a country who has customarily accepted the supremacy of Shariya law over the constitution (in 2014 after Supreme Court verdict, this situation is changed); a country who has accepted the brutal genocide of Kashmiri Pandits as a policy of appeasement (by the so-called minority); a country who provides reservation facilities to their minorities as a part of affirmative action; a country where except Muslims other minorities like Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Christians are living peacefully; a country where minorities have multiplied their population since independence (i. e. Muslims were 9.8% in the 1951 census and are 14.2% in 2011 census); the question again appears haunting that how such a country has become unsafe for the particular religion, Islam?
When the Indian government came with the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 (CAA), it was alleged for being ultra-nationalist. From almost every forum it was announced by the competent political authorities that, migrant from six non-Muslim communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh will become Indian citizen automatically. The CAA is to give citizenship to religiously persecuted refugees; it is not to take away citizenship of any Indian. It is not at all concerned with the Indian citizens and their citizenship, still an unprecedented strikes and protest has started in all over the country. Secularism was interrogated again and things were jeopardised and manipulated intentionally for months. The love and brotherhood between one national is astonishing but it becomes suspicious to see the empathy with other nationals (on the cost of the motherland)! Is religion above to the Nation? It's a time to introspect ourselves.
Martin Luther King Junior said that, “the limitation of riots, moral question aside is that they cannot win and their participants know it.” To a consensus society riots neither be supported not be accepted. Delhi riots were the by-product of the suppressed anger for CAA. Left oriented media has blamed and labelled the central government for pumping communal hatred intentionally, which is not at all right. Jafrabad, Silampur, Chand Bagh, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura etc. are the Muslim majority areas of North-East Delhi where the riots plunked. It could have ignited in the Hindu majority areas instead! In an accident between a car and scooter or bicycle, always a bigger one is accused for the accident. But it is not right every time. If CAA does not apply to any Indian citizens and they are completely unaffected to it, then why this violence occurred? Because we are minority “we do not and cannot be blamed anyway” policy will let us to nowhere. It has actually harmed the secular character of India and created rifts for communal harmony. Responsible and dedicated behaviour of citizens would be an asset for the New India.
Today the whole world is fighting with covid-19, including India. This pandemic is neutral to race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language, borders, rich or poor. Surprisingly, spitting, stone- pattering and misbehaving with coronavirus warriors (i. e. Doctors, Nurses, Policemen, sanitation officers etc.) was reported in India. Hundreds of print and electronic media reports became evident to these shameful incidents. Immediately, Tablighi Jamaat and its congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque have appeared as nation’s biggest Coronavirus cluster. They have carried this virus to almost all the states. Despite bans on the public gathering announced by the Government of Delhi from mid of March, information’s about this gathering was manipulated and distorted. Besides being critical to these punishable activities, sponsored media houses have given it a religious colour and like every time Islam came to danger! The ruling government was periled and crushed for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments and targeting Maulana Saad (leader of this gathering) and the Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque (because it is a mosque!). Why? It was completely a law and order subject. Even then it was retorted and exaggerated in the religious tune.
India is a secular country, by spirit and by law and our constitution doesn’t acquire this value merely from its different provisions. To fully comprehend what secularism in India stands for, one has to acknowledge the glory of Indian culture and tradition. Regrettably it was stumbled during the ferocious Islamic invaders and rulers and later on unheeded during the colonial rule. The paid and prejudiced media houses are repeating the history. In Hindustan words like ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindu ideology’ has proved to be a kind of felony. The value of secularism that Indian constitution espouses is novel and its practice and protection is the shared responsibility of “We the people of India”.
Dr. Aparna
Assistant Professor , Department of Politics and International Relations
Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi
