Skip to main content

Politicians, seeking to expand electoral base, pay obeisance to godmen, promote crime in the name of spiritualism

By Adv Masood Peshimam
Faith has its own logic and discourse. Faith can’t be judged on the touchstone of science. Faith is subjective as well the concept of superstition. There is an extremely thin line between faith and superstition. However superstition can never be justified and acquire legitimacy. What is one’s faith may be blind faith for another . Followers of one faith may invite ridicule from others and vice versa.
However, notwithstanding the subjectivity forming the basis of faith what is of significance is to note that faith is stigmatized and besmirched when it is experimented with fraud, cheating, physical, exploitation, debauchery, lavish and licentious life style. Spiritualism and vulgarity can never reconcile. 
People with a view to derive solace and peace approach the spiritual personalities but saddening is to note that in many cases at the end of the day what remains is the moral chaos, variety of criminal activities , unbridled violence breeding an environment of insecurity attendant with all the vices leading to the deep-seated frustration. 
This ugly phenomena is applied to certain ashram’s which are found to be hotbed of unimaginable criminal activities. Mentioning ashram doesn’t mean giving clean chit to other religious places. Certain ashrams have come into focus involving host of criminal and immortal acts where debauch and licentious life style is at its worst.
UP Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi is obsessed with the funding of madrasas as madrassas are always for surgical strike in the name of nationalism forgetting the bare fact that madrassas or Islamic seminaries played a very vital role in governing the freedom movement. Madrassa’s role in challenging the mighty British Empire cannot be ignored. Adityanth Yogi is never bothered about the funding of ashrams, some of which are involved in clandestine activities which never occupies space for concern with the blinkered vision. 
Certain ashrams with no respect for law and morality have never been the area of concern for Yogi. Such thoughts can never occur to those guided by hidden agenda which is no more hidden. However, financing of the ashram occupied with murky and shady behaviour is not the subject at the moment.
Against this background, the unmasking of the notorious and licentious lavish kingdom of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh can’t escape the share of attention. An insight in the murky affairs of the Dera culture can be illustrated with the occurrence of umpteen rape scenes, castrations, and so on.
The gory and horrifying culture prevalent at the Dera Sacha Sauda can well be illustrated with the deposition of certain sadhvis. In their deposition on oath before the CBI Judges, the sadhvis had given the sequence of events, narrating horrifying tales of how the “powerful Baba” used to rape them and other women of the dera inside his gufa, or the customised underground chamber that was his personal residence. Baba’s sexual acts were carried on in the so-called gufa which had all the material of luxuries living.
Interestingly, it is equally alleged that his own adopted daughter was the object of his sexual gratification. The skeletons keep thumbing out. It is not the sexual orgies alone which came to light, but also a large chunk of castration cases. The gruesome murder of a sadhvi’s brother and the journalist exposing the black deeds is much more wild and inhuman.
It’s not that someone committing the sin out of lust some lascivious desire or passion but here is the case of full-throated audacity to commit the crime and draw pride out of it which is much more macabre and gruesome. His hawkish behaviour in the absence of accountability and fear of consequences experienced no let up over the years.
It was in 2002 the two sadhvis wrote a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee which triggered the inquiry. It is equally interesting to note what is stated by the retired DIG of CBI M Nariman. He said that a lot of pressure was brought upon the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to relax the investigation against the Baba Gurmeet Singh. But he did not yield to the pressure; instead he summoned the then CBI Chief Vijay Shanker, directing the latter to progress the investigation without any fear or favour. Vijay Shanker has referred to the mounting intervention of the political bigwigs to soften the investigation.
It is welcome to note that the bigwigs failed to influence the independence of the investigation under Vijay Shanker due to the courageous stance of Manmohan singh. It nails the lie of the BJP stalwart that the Congress looked the other way when Ram Rahim amassed wealth and indulged in all the criminal activities.
It is thus the efforts of the CBI inquiry which culminated into the bold and courageous judgement of the CBI Court that Gurmeet Singh was convicted. While the CBI court was to give the verdict the Khattar government of Haryana allowed people to congregate in Panchukula where the CBI court was to deliver the verdict. The trouble was in the store. 
The Haryana government, despite sensing disturbance, allowed the Gurmeet Singh supporters to gather in vast multitude. As expected, the supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda lost no time in unleashing the large-scale violence. It’s all done to appease the vote bank politics, very much indulged in recently, which has led to lot of chaos and instability in the country, on one pretext or the other, more so in the name cow protection.
As usual with the large scale violence claiming heavy toll of life Prime Minister Modi gave the statement that violence in the name of religion would not be tolerated. Such statements in the absence of any concrete action to demolish the escalating lawlessness in the country failed to produce any impact as witnessed in the case of murderous lynching mobs mostly targeting Muslims in the name of cow protection.
In the context of Baba Gurmeet Singh it is to be noted that a minister in the Khattar government of Haryana allotted a plot of land to the controversial Baba. Was the minister unaware of the criminal activities of Ram Rahim Singh? Is it not guided by the vote bank politics? What equally needs to be noted is that a day after the followers of Dera Sacha Chief Gurmeet Singh went on rampage Haryana Minister and BJP MLA from Rohtak Manish Grover said that the violence was natural and it was an expression of their natural anger. 
Isn’t it a sympathy card played by the BJP veteran for Gurmeet Singh? No crime can be justified by sheltering anger of the people. The devotees should have introspected their allegiance as it is not concerning their belief but the matter is concerning a person who is pronounced guilty of committing the heinous crime.
Another BJP stalwart R Balashankar said that the Dera Chief supported the BJP in the 2014 election, further stating that the Dera Chief was not then a convicted person. He should be kind enough to note that the conviction is a long drawn process. Can the alleged criminal be protected or nurtured as there is no conviction? Even after the conviction there is scope for appeal. Absence of conviction does not define the criminal as the paragon of virtues.The BJP man also said that no patronage or protection was extended, though the Dera had supported the BJP in the 2014 election. 
Such statement is not realistic as no politics is done without the quid pro quo. Only interests count in politics. Whatever pieties politicians of various hues may mouth, but the fact remains that pieties have little or no space in power game. Politicians with a view to expand their electoral base feel no compunction in paying obeisance to such godmen and in the process such so-called spiritual persons emerge all the more powerful with the growing clout and sway. It is the political obeisance which promotes crime in the name of spiritualism. The situation has gone much worse with the ever-growing communalisation of polity. Such so-called spiritual personalities are made to bask under the glow of political favour.
Baba or so-called spiritual persons have a free hand in the teeth of the escalating electoral communal politics, the perils of which cannot be ignored.

Comments

TRENDING

Stagnating wages since 2014-15: Economists explain Modi legacy for informal workers

By Our Representative  Real wages have barely risen in India since 2014-15, despite rapid GDP growth. The country’s social security system has also stagnated in this period. The lives of informal workers remain extremely precarious, especially in states like Jharkhand where casual employment is the main source of livelihood for millions. These are some of the findings presented by economists Jean Drèze and Reetika Khera at a press conference convened by the Loktantra Bachao 2024 campaign. 

Modi win may force Pak to put Kashmir on backburner, resume trade ties with India

By Salman Rafi Sheikh*  When Narendra Modi returned to power for a second term in India with a landslide victory in 2019, his government acted swiftly. Just months after the election, the Modi government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India. In doing so, it stripped the special constitutional status conferred on Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, and downgraded its status from a state with its own elected assembly to a union territory administered by the central government in Delhi. 

'Assault on civic, academic freedom, right to dissent': TISS PhD student's suspension

By Our Representative  The Mumbai-based civil rights group All India Secular Forum (AISF) has said that the suspension of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) PhD student Ramadas Prini Sivanandan (30) for two years for allegedly indulging in activities which were "not in the interest of the nation" is meant to send out the message that students and educational institutes will be targeted if they don’t align with the agenda and ideology of the ruling regime.  TISS in a notice served to Ramadas has cited that his role in screening the documentary 'Ram Ke Naam' on January 26 as a "mark of dishonour and protest" against the Ram Mandir idol consecration in Ayodhya.  Another incident cited in the notice was Ramadas’ participation in the protest against unfair government policies in Delhi under the banner of the Progressive Students' Forum (PSF)-TISS. TISS alleges the institute's name was "misused", which wrongfully created an impression that

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Why it's only Modi ki guarantee, not BJP's, and how Varanasi has seen it up-close

"Development" along Ganga By Rosamma Thomas*  I was in Varanasi in this April, days before polling began for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There are huge billboards advertising the Member of Parliament from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The only image on all these large hoardings is of the PM, against a saffron background. It is as if the very person of Modi is what his party wishes to showcase.

Joblessness, saffronisation, corporatisation of education: BJP 'squarely responsible'

Counterview Desk  In an open appeal to youth and students across India, several student and youth organizations from across India have said that the ruling party is squarely accountable for the issues concerning the students and the youth, including expensive education and extensive joblessness.

Following the 3000-year old Pharaoh legacy? Poll-eve Surya tilak on Ram Lalla statue

By Sukla Sen  Located at a site called Abu Simbel in Nubia, Upper Egypt, the eponymous rock temples were created in 1244 BCE, under the orders of Pharaoh Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC)... Ramesses II was fond of showcasing his achievements. It was this desire to brag about his victory that led to the planning and eventual construction of the temples (interestingly, historians say that the Battle of Qadesh actually ended in a draw based on the depicted story -- not quite the definitive victory Ramesses II was making it out to be).

Tyre cartel's monopoly: Farmers' groups seek legal fight for better price for raw rubber

By Our Representative  The All India Kisan Sabha and the Kerala Karshaka Sangham that represents the largest rubber producing state of Kerala along with rubber farmers have sought intervention against the monopoly tyre companies that have formed a cartel against the interests of consumers and farmers.  Vijoo Krishnan, AIKS General Secretary, Valsan Panoli, Kerala Karshaka Sangham General Secretary, and four farmers representing different rubber growing regions of Kerala have filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court.

India's "welcome" proposal to impose sin tax on aerated drinks is part of to fight growing sugar consumption

By Amit Srivastava* A proposal to tax sugar sweetened beverages like tobacco in India has been welcomed by public health advocates. The proposal to increase sin taxes on aerated drinks is part of the recommendations made by India’s Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian on the upcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill in the parliament of India.