(KC Kalkura)
The minority community has selected a most inopportune time to raise the religious issue regarding the Hijab, just before the elections were to be held in five states, from February 10, 2022, to March 7, 2022, a mini general election. The Bharatiya Janata Party made a mountain out of a molehill. The Hijab issue was raised in the elite Udupi town in Coastal Karnataka.
The Hindus countered with a Saffron shawl. The nearest state to Udupi is Goa, one among those that went to the polls, and is about three hundred km away. Geographically, culturally, emotionally, socially, economically, and politically Gao’s bond with Udupi has been historic and centuries old.
These are the days of electronic communication and digital journalism. It takes only minutes, if not seconds to transmit the news to the other end of the globe. Therefore Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Uttar Pradesh too are not beyond the reach of the sensitive issue raised by the minority community and the opposition it faced from the majority community, particularly the Hindutva forces. It helped to consolidate and polarise the undecided anti-minority votes.
Particularly the Secular forces have failed to attract the attention from the anti-farmer laws sentiments. I am neither defending nor blaming either side. I am only making an observation as I perceive it. It is a plain truth that the BJP had adopted a pro-Hindutva agenda from day one it came to power in U.P. in 2017. e.g Anti conversion measures, Anti cow-slaughter legislation, Foundation stone for the Rama Mandir at Ayodhya renovating and widening the roads near and around Kasi Viswanatha Temple. Yet its tally dwindled from 325, with a vote share of nearly 40% to 273, however surprisingly with an increased vote share of 44%.
Narendra Modi took it on himself and performed Kumbh Mela 2021 at Haridwar, Uttarakhand. It was severely criticized by the opposition. It was alleged that the rituals were performed defying the Covid -19 protocols. Yet it paid dividends and the BJP’s performance in the State is as per its expectations. This is not intended to discuss other issues like the Farm Legislations involved in the elections.
Given the diverse religious beliefs of its people, the founding fathers of our Constitution had a deep conviction that India should be established as a secular country. Thus, while framing the Constitution, they made several provisions that unequivocally affirmed India as a secular country. Even though initially not written in the original constitution, the preamble of our constitution was amended in 1976 to explicitly proclaim India as a Secular country. Various other provisions are as follows:
Under the chapter on fundamental rights, Article 15 prohibits the state from discriminating between citizens on the ground of religion.
Article 16 prohibits the state from discriminating between citizens in matters of public employment on the basis of religion.
Under the “Right to Freedom of Religion” from Articles 25 to 28, various provisions can be seen which again reinforce the idea of secularism.
Article 25 gives all persons in the country freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion.
Article 26 provides freedom to all religious denominations to establish and maintain institutions for religious purposes, manage their own religious affairs, acquire and administer movable or immovable property.
Under Article 27, no person can be compelled by the government to pay taxes for the promotion of any particular religion.
Finally, under Article 28, religious instruction is banned from being given in educational institutions maintained wholly out of state funds.
Last but not the least, under Part 15 relating to the conduct of elections, Article 325 provides that no person can be ineligible for inclusion in an electoral roll or can claim inclusion in a special roll on the grounds of religion.
The Constitution has a provision of Uniform Civil Code in Article, 44 in Chapter IV, Directive Principles of State Policy: “The State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.”
These are the Constitutional provisions, considered sacrosanct by one and all. However, in their implementation society and the Governments face certain problems, insurmountable at times. Though the Constitution is a legal document, its implementation is political. Party in power interprets it to suit its political agenda. The opposition blames it as ‘vote bank politics.
The Congress and the left canvass for one extreme. For them, particularly many of our traditions are outdated and they are religious. E.g. Worshipping Saraswathi and Sarada in academic institutions, chanting hymns, breaking coconuts, and conducting Ganapathi Puja at the State-sponsored program while launching new projects or factories or institutions or organizations. The very language, Sanskrit, is associated with Brahminism. Ironically, many Communist leaders of the yesteryears like S.A.Dange, Prof Hiren Mukharjee, and Namboodiripad were outstanding scholars in the language. Marxist Historian Romila Thapar is an acclaimed oriental scholar. They interpreted the epics and scriptures to suit the leftist philosophy. For BJP and its allies, our traditions are sentimental, symbolic, and scientific. Our ancestors considered all the virtues as Gods. Praying Saraswathi and Sarada is a prayer to the Goddess of Learning. Ganapathi is worshipped to remove the obstacles in the implementation and functioning. Does the prayer yield results? As a measure of compromise, in some cases on such auspicious occasions Hindu, Islam, and Christian prayers are offered.
The Counterargument is that leftists hail the ‘Movements’ and ‘Revolutions’ and garland the statues of their ideologies. If ancient literature and scripts and religious practices are irrelevant, how are Marx, Angel, and Mao, the alien political philosophers of the past, relevant?
If Bhagavadgita and Manusmrithi are sentiments of the dustbin, what about the Quran and Bible? I hasten to add that Manu is not at all practiced in the 21st Century. Our scriptures are embodiments of the Ethical value of life or Dharma. Dharma is not religion. Its tenets are eternal and universal. Leftists have seldom branded the Biblionic tenets and Koranic injunctions as irrational.
Fundamentalism, irrationality, and superstition are not confined to Hinduism alone. It may be Manu for the Hindus and some other for other religions. There is a demand for the inclusion of Dalit Christians as Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes. If the caste system is exclusive to Hinduism and Christianity practices perfect equality, such a demand is fallacious.
It is meaningless and ridiculous. Such unreasonable arguments weakened even the impartial and unbiased Hindus to favor progressive Hinduism. Thus the Secular forces cause more harm to the cause of secularism than the Hindutva elements.
Secular forces have not come forward to condemn in equal terms the fanaticism of Asaduddin Owaisi, the President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). For Owaisi, he is the only champion of the Muslims in the country. An unconfirmed report says that in more than one hundred constituencies in UP, BJP won with less than one thousand votes and in all those constituencies the AIMIM polled more than a thousand votes. The absence of AIMIM would have tilted the balance. Secular parties could neither convince Owaisi to withdraw from the contest nor now blame him for the BJP’s victory. Is Owaisi’s onslaught against BJP hypocritical? (To be continued)
(This is the first of the two-part article)
( *KC Kalkura is an Advocate and Social Activist from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh)
Read Part 2 here