The incident at Dadri, where a citizen was killed recently after a rumour, manifests the level to which people can be driven to. Notwithstanding the fact that education has been universalised and citizens are free to read and choose their religion or remain without one, the majority of people continue to remain gullible.
On January 26, 1950, the people of India gave themselves the constitution that ensured justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, recognising the pluralistic nature of society. The act terminated the existence of princely states, feudal lords and local systems of governance not recognised by the constitution. It was a silent revolution that changed the norms of socio-economic as well as political and religious aspects in the lives of citizens.
This was the revolution in modern India that ushered in the environment in which traditional monopolies in various aspects of the lives of citizens- that had resulted in inequality and exploitation- were sought to be curbed. The principles enshrined in the constitution have helped the nation overcome its traditional deficits and emerge as a throbbing nation in the modern globalised world. The change in the basic characteristic of the independent nation has been manifested on the national flag in the form of the Ashok Chakra. The wheel symbolises the metamorphosis of the nation from a chaotic and divided region into an integrated, civilised entity in which differences are solved through dialogue, not violence.
The chief architect of the constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar, in his “Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India” had written that Buddhism was a revolution that strived for equality, non-violence, tolerance and an ethics that encompassed not only the welfare of human beings, but also animals, birds and the environment. It had propagated rationality that was against inequality of all kinds, animal sacrifice and exploitation in the name of religion. This was over 2,500 years ago, before Islamic invaders arrived and can be considered as the next step in human evolution in which violence had no place in solving disputes. However, after Ashoka, Brahminism led a sustained multipronged campaign, resulting in the decline of Buddhism, which Dr Ambedkar termed as “counter-revolution”.
If the current happenings in the country, where fringe groups emboldened by the installation of a BJP government have gone berserk, are any indication, a counter-revolution is in the making to undo the revolution ushered in by the constitution of India. It amounts to turning back the wheel of progress that has found place on the national flag.
The incident at Dadri, where a citizen was killed recently after a rumour of eating beef, manifests the level to which people can be driven to. Notwithstanding the fact that education has been universalised and citizens are free to read and choose their religion or remain without one, majority of people continue to remain gullible. The reason is in the mindset which has been conditioned by the socio-economic and religious upbringing. Most people blindly follow the religion inherited from their parents and do not read even the holy texts of their own religion, when, ideally, every person must read holy books of all religions. There is incidentally, a prescribed age for marriage, drinking liquor, smoking and watching adult movies, but in case of religion, one has to follow the religion inherited. There is no provision for a child to remain without religion and choose its religion after reading holy texts of all religions on reaching puberty. Besides, there is no provision in the education system to acquaint students with all religions as part of their curriculum.
The result is that such people are easy prey for those who use religion as a tool to condition the minds of people in order to control and use them- politically or for making money. Incidentally, most of the people favour an easy life without exerting themselves and delegate their power of thinking to those they venerate. Hence, we have a large number of citizens who are lazy, ignorant and egoistic. They are always looking for shortcuts for everything they do. Most of them speak against corruption, but most of the times, it means that they are averse to giving bribes, not taking them.
There are industrious, rich and powerful entities waiting to exploit the mindset of such people and political parties are no exception. Such entities stoop to pander to the mindset of the vulnerable masses, instead of raising the bar and enabling them to transcend the man-made barriers. The masses are attracted to xenophobic politics very easily as it provides them cohesive mental security. Hence, the mixture of any religion and politics is a popular concoction that paves way for interested politicians or religious leaders towards their goal of power or/and wealth.
In the Dadri murder case, of the 10 persons named in the FIR, seven are reportedly from the family of a BJP member, which speaks volumes about the abhorrence towards a particular community. As a country that is an emerging economy and wants to be an important political player globally, such incidents are a blot on its reputation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ascended the prime ministerial chair based on a shrill poll campaign of the ‘development’ agenda and slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. He has been visiting foreign countries to promote the economy and image of India and his media managers are doing their jobs well in projecting his larger than life image. However, he is known to maintain a profound silence on such ghastly issues. The Union home department has now asked states to take stern action against those trying to disturb the secular fabric of the nation and fanning communal sentiments.
Even if Modi and his colleagues come forward to condemn such incidents, it would not be convincing. The country is witnessing communal polarisation. On the one hand are Hindu hardliners who are emboldened by the BJP wresting power, while on the other, there are some Muslim leaders waiting to consolidate their leadership by making equally communal speeches. Moreover, even if the government disowns the right-wing hardliners, it would be like Pakistani rulers distancing themselves from terrorist groups in their country, but secretly supporting them.
