Skip to main content

How Gandhian values have become 'casualty' in India under majoritarian BJP rule

By Sandeep Pandey* 

A Muslim youth was beaten recently when he tried to witness the famous garba performance during the Hindu religious nine days festival of Navratri in Gujarat. There was a time when Muslims could easily participate in Garbha events in an atmosphere of cordiality.
Bilkis Bano was gang raped in 2002 Gujarat communal violence, her 3 years old daughter, the child in womb and a total of 14 family members were killed. 11 accused were awarded life term. However, recently a District level committee has decided to release all the culprits. A ruling Bhartiya Janata Party leader has described some of these criminals as virtuous Brahmins, the highest among the Hindu hierarchical caste system.
In a communally polarized Gujarat today most Muslims feel offended by the decision of the government and BJP supporters either justify the release of rapists and murderers or just ignore the ignominious decision.
Mahatma Gandhi came from the Gujarat state of India. He is the most well known icon associated with India internationally. Gautam Buddha has probably a larger following but that is outside India and therefore he is seen as an international figure more in the company of Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammad.
Mahatma Gandhi is most famous for two values that he espoused – truth and non-violence. Unfortunately both these values have become a casualty in an India dominated by majoritarian rule under the BJP. Truth has a new version called post-truth and violence is selectively being justified depending on the background of people involved.
Truth has been dissociated from facts. Now what one believes or feels and develops a strong passion for is considered the truth. It doesn’t matter that it is a distorted version of history. Now even mythology is being passed off as history.
Majoritarian violence is being given a nationalist colour and hence is being justified. The caste and religion of perpetrator and victim will decide whether the perpetrator will get punishment or not, like in the case of Bilkis Bano. The victim on the other hand if doesn’t belong to upper caste and Hindu religion could very well become the accused.
For example, a BJP leader Nupur Sharma made some unsavory comments on Prophet Mohammad. No action was taken against her but journalist Mohammad Zubair who tweeted her comments had to spend 23 days in jail. Muslims who protested against her statements were detained by police.
Similarly no action has been taken against the State Home Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son drove vehicle over farmers during their protest and killed 4 of them and one journalist in Lakhimpur Khiri in Uttar Pradesh. Although his son is in jail, cases were filed against hundreds of farmers, mostly Sikhs, during the 13 months movement.
It is a contradiction that BJP wants a strong India but doesn’t realize that a strong military or security apparatus doesn’t make a country strong if it is internally weak. BJP’s divisive politics has created internal tensions never seen on a scale before.
During partition of the country it was mostly Punjab, Bengal and parts of North India which were affected. In 1947 the country was physically divided, now it is mentally divided. Any kind of division is sure to result in violence provoked by hate. And we’ve seen plenty of it in India during the recent years.
Gandhi chose to remain far away from the midnight ceremony on 14 August 1947 in Bengal trying to douse communal fires
Any society can be strong only if there is internal cohesion, where people live in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi laid down his life for Hindu-Muslim unity. For him this cause was so important that while the country was becoming independent he chose to remain far away, from the midnight ceremony on 14 August, 1947 in Bengal trying to douse communal fires.
It is primarily because of Gandhi’s strong insistence on communal harmony that India became a secular country unlike Pakistan which chose to be an Islamic state. Bangladesh too became a Islamic country when it separated from Pakistan.
It is the equal respect for all religions which has guided India’s polity before the arrival of BJP and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh on national scene. The communal forces were marginalized in the country for a good period of its independent history. It was the Ram Janma Bhoomi movement which provided them a lease of life.
Even though a significant number of people have become RSS-BJP supporters, a large majority still believes and lives in communal harmony. An ordinary person who is concerned about his family and livelihood doesn’t like politics of hatred or violence. She prefers a life of peace, harmony and stability.
Mahatma Gandhi spread the message of love among the people. It is only trust and love which create a sense of security among the people in their relationships. India may have digressed from this path of Gandhi but is sure to return to it as this is the only alternative if we are to survive as a civilised society. In this sense Gandhi’s messages are eternal.
---
*Magsaysay award winning social activist and academic; general secretary, Socialist Party (India)

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

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.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

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. 

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

As double engine takes backseat in Odisha, BJP is pitted against 'firmly rooted' BJD

By Sudhansu R Das  BJP has got 25 years to build its party base in Odisha. After 25 years, it felt helpless and insecure to fight elections on its own strength. The party was almost crazy to have an alliance with the ruling BJD in Odisha.  Looking for alliance at the time of election shows that the party has not groomed its grassroots level workers into potential leaders.  The state BJP leaders woke up and convinced the Central leaders that they are capable of going solo; the alliance was stillborn. The question is can BJP defeat BJD which is firmly rooted in Odisha after launching piles of populist programs in the state.