Congress’ Stained Secularism

The problem is the Congress is led by a person who doesn’t understand India

SUDHEENDRA KULKARNI
Rightwing ideologue

Illustration: Neelakash Kshetrimayum

India is a multi-faith nation and our secular Constitution enjoins us to respect the faiths of fellow Indians. While it gives the freedom to those citizens who wish to profess atheism, they too have a duty not to show disrespect towards the beliefs and icons of the faithful. If this is the duty cast upon ordinary citizens, it goes without saying that the obligation of the State is far more uninfringeable.

Shockingly, the Congress-led UPA government violated this principle by affirming, through an affidavit it filed last week in the Supreme Court in the ‘Ram Setu’ matter, that Lord Ram did not exist at all and that there is no scientific basis to the events described in the Ramayana.

By refuting the historicity of Ram, the UPA government had virtually endorsed the irreligious brand of secularism advocated by the UPA and Communists. As a matter of fact, the brand of secularism preached and practiced by them is not so much anti-religion as it is anti-Hindu. Ask yourself a simple question: if some dispute arose over the “scientific” basis of the Christian belief about the virginal birth of Jesus or the Muslim belief in the revealed origin of the Holy Quran, would they dare commit similar blasphemy? I believe that Muslims had a legitimate reason to be angry about the Danish cartoons. But why do some secularists think that the Hindu anger over the affidavit is illegitimate? It is because of such double-standards that more and more Hindus are feeling that, under secularism, it is okay to trample upon the religious beliefs of the majority community but not okay to do so when the beliefs of the minority communities are involved. The Congress party would be making a grievous mistake by ignoring the growing Hindu disquiet only because the Ram Setu issue has not yet triggered large-scale Hindu protests in a manner that the cartoon controversy provoked Muslim protests last year.

The Ram Setu issue moved from the margins to the centre-stage of national debate only after the UPA government filed the offensive affidavit in the apex court. True, the Congress leadership has resorted to some quick damage-control measures. Nevertheless, it is seen to be both hesitant and unable to affirm its independent stand clearly vis-à- vis the provocative statements made by the DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Dr M. Karunanidhi. Where lies the root cause of the hesitation and inability of the Congress to affirm the true meaning of secularism? Especially in an issue which is not Hindu vs. Muslim or Hindu vs.Christian in nature? It lies in the Congress party’s fear that, by doing so, it makes itself vulnerable to accusations of practising “soft Hindutva”. Thus, unsure of what it really stands for, it has allowed itself to be influenced by the Marxist-DMK definition of secularism, which is totally antithetical to what its own pre-Independence tradition stood for.

This has happened primarily because the Congress is now led by a person who does not understand India, is not steeped in any educative intellectual tradition, has not so far shown any courage of conviction, for whom even ‘sacrifice’ is a self-serving political ploy, and whose deepest motivation is, solely, to ensure that power resides in her dynasty perpetually. Although Congress spin doctors told the media last week that it was her prompt intervention that led to the withdrawal of the controversial affidavit, she herself has not spoken a single word so far on Ram or Ram Setu. This expediency is nearly as old as her presidency of the Congress party. For example, in January 1999, in the wake of the Congress party’s defeat at the hands of the BJP in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, the CWC passed a remarkable resolution. “Hinduism,” it affirmed, “is the most effective guarantor of secularism in India.’’ But have you ever heard either Sonia Gandhi or any other Congress leader reiterate this line since then?

It is high time the Congress party clarified to the people of this country what exactly it means by secularism, what the sources of Indian secularism and Indian nationalism are, and how it seeks to perform its Constitutional duty without double standards. It has an opportunity, and also an obligation, to do so by telling both the DMK and Marxists that they are wrong on Ram and the Ramayana.

Kulkarni was an aide to former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Comments are welcome at sudheenkulkarni@gmail.com