Communalism
legitimised ~ kuldip nayar
One
way to give secularism a chance is to punish those who in any way undermine it.
The destroyers of Babari Masjid are yet to be punished. In the same way, Mr
Narendra Modi has been let off despite 3,000 Muslims having been
massacred on his watch
No
doubt, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is less rhetorical than before in its
references to Muslims. There can be two reasons for this. One, the party has
its eyes fixed on the scenario after the general election in early 2014. It
would need the support of secular parties to have a majority in the Lok Sabha ~
the Lower House of Parliament. Any adverse remark about Muslims may cost the
party and endanger its chances of constituting a viable coalition.
Two,
the BJP feels that it can afford to give the impression of being liberal at a
time when soft Hindutva has gripped even Leftist parties. The Congress has been
steadily losing its secular credentials over the past few years. If any proof
was needed, the Gujarat Assembly election provided ample because the party
never touched on the ethnic cleansing that state chief minister Narendra Modi
had attempted in 2002 with the help of BJP cadres and the police force during
its poll campaigns. The Congress thought that it might alienate Hindus by
talking about the killing of Muslims during a crucial election campaign.
This
must have come as a shock to Muslims throughout the country because they vote,
by and large, in favour of the Congress. Yet, it must be the biggest dilemma
for the Muslim community to find out which party is liberal. The radicalisation
of the community is not the answer, as it is happening. This would be used as
evidence to stigmatise the community. Muslim terrorism has no chance against
Hindu terrorism simply because of the numbers.
I
realise that some Muslims, out of desperation, have taken to violence. But this
is also the path Hindu militant organisations such as the Bajrang Dal, the Ram
Sene and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad want the community to take. The bomb blasts
at Malegaon, Ajmer and Hyderabad have proved the guilt of these organisations.
Initially, the suspicion was on Muslims ~ as is police practice ~ and young
Muslim men were picked up at will. At Hyderabad, they were even beaten by
police. But a detailed investigation revealed a Hindu hand.
In
fact, the random arrests of Muslim youth are the biggest worry of the
community. A delegation, including Hindus, recently met Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh to seek a remedy. His promise to take action has resulted in fewer Muslim
youth being detained, but the community is far from satisfied. Many young
Muslim men are still rotting in jail, awaiting posting of cases for hearing.
Worse is the loss of time which could have been utilised for pursuing higher
studies or in some useful work.
