Mubarak Baloch
The “secular state” is a concept in which state remains neutral as for as the religious practices of its subjects are concerned. State neither promotes religion nor discourages it. Word secularism generally got currency during Renaissance and Industrial Revolution which promoted socio-political awakening in Europe. Treaty of Westphalia (1648) had infact brought an end to thirty years’ war in Europe. The European countries divorced church influence encouraging the logical and critical thinking in masses. The idea worked well as the Europe by and large got free from religious bigotry at least in its own trough. Though prior to this the church and clergy had deep influence even in the personal life of people. While Europe as an example, the early leadership of India namely Mohamdas Karamchand Gandhi (popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi) and Jawaharlal Nehru had opted to constitutionally declare India a secular country. India became the ‘Republic of India’ within the British Commonwealth. The underlying aim was to provide comfortable space to minority population, Muslims being the largest segment, for a peaceful communal mosaic. However, analysts had reached some analytical inkling after Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) activist that Indian secularism would wear away. Jawaharlal Nehru on the assassination of Gandhi said, “Light has gone out of our lives”. A pertinent prediction he made. Secularism slogan and persecution of minority population cannot go hand in hand in India or elsewhere. Attacks on religious places as happened in case of Babri Mosque (6 December 1992) when it was razed to ground by a huge Hindu mob under the very eyes of LK Advani, a BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) leader. Christians’ churches are being vandalized and nuns are sexually assaulted. Mother Teresa has been accused by none other than Mohan Bhagwat, an RSS leader, of being involved in proselytizing. The plight of 20.14 crore Dalits living in India is pitiable. Dalit children are not allowed to sit with non-Dalit children in a classroom at school. Public health workers refuse to visit Dalit villages. Justice CS Karnan (Dalit) of Madras High Court recently said, “I’m ashamed of being born is India. I would shift to a country where caste system doesn’t exist”. In view of this Indian claim to secularism hardly holds substantial weight. The current government under BJP has afforded much leverage to Hindu extremists who toughened their attitude towards other faiths by harping on a hard version of Hinduism in country. People are lynched in broad daylight under mere suspicion of consuming beef or indulging in cow trade. Narendra Modi could not extricate himself from blame of extending connivance to Hindu zealots’ attack on Muslims in Gujrat which claimed close to two thousand lives of innocent Muslims including Ehsan Jaffri, a Congress MP who was hacked to death. Extremism wears hardened outlook when patronized by the state itself. Indian Prime minister’s penchant for foreign visits cannot make India look robust due to the uglier mosaic at home. Securlarism survives when the individual is free to profess and practice his faith without coercion. Stories of forcible conversion of low caste population into Hinduism are galore. Those not converting under coercive tactics are offered BPL (below poverty line) cards as incentive to have ration at cheaper rates. Recently, media carried stories about Indian film industry stars (Muslims) being harassed by Hindu hardliners with an aim to dissuade them from working with Pakistani film actors. The level of extremism touched its ugly zenith when face of Sudheendra Kulkarni, a politician-cum- columnist and head of a Mumbai based think tank ‘Observer Research Foundation’, was sprayed black by Shive Sena activists as a reaction against hosting inauguration programme of a book by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former foreign minister of Pakistan. The level of bigotry is palpably evident. Gradually; RSS also crept into Indian Occupied Kashmir using BJP as political veneer and manged to get elected few MPs including Kavindar Gupta as speaker of legislative assembly. After getting niche in IOK BJP has a plan in hand to get settled Hindu Pundats alongwith their followers in IOK to change the demographic equation. ‘Faith politics’ wore thin India’s claim for secularism. In fact the current government’s attitude endearing RSS and other hardline outfits has emboldened the activists associated with these organizations and started venturing to unsettle the secular mosaic. States proponent for secularism never encourage or entice their population to hone their religious outlook to the extent of developing bias against other compatriots. BJP leadership might have some political mileage to achieve by allowing RSS and its ilk to run amok but certainly at the cost of religio-communal harmony in the land of Gandhi. The latter once said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”. Gandhi’s words are unfortunately out of place when it comes to status quo in India.
