Shiban Khaibri
” A broader reading of history shows that
appeasement, no matter how it is labelled , never
fulfils the hopes of the appeasers , it is never seen as
benevolence to be reciprocated but weakness to be exploited ..”
It is undoubtedly becoming peculiarly brazen that a vast strata of those politicians in our country who boast of being “secular”, indulging in sheer appeasement with persistent consistency , perhaps, are forgetting as to how such a policy pursued by them only for vote , was ultimately going to prove detrimental to the interests of this partitioned country. “Partitioned”, a historical upheaval , is being very conveniently and knowingly forgotten and the causes thereof just ignored , thus history of very recent past is cleverly but pathetically disregarded. Those resorting to violence , arson , loot and mayhem on the roads in the name of constitutional right to protest, should very carefully keep the fact and cause of partition in mind, their leaders may please doubly ensure it . We all – say 140 crore people – have to live here together and any type of violence for any cause whatsoever, must be abhorred and avoided at all costs. On the other hand, testing the patience and endurance of peaceful and law abiding citizens is as futile as being an antidote to peaceful living . Roads and public places should not converge into hotspots of conflicts and arenas of misdemeanour .However, it will not be any overstatement to say that there is an undeclared competition among the ”secular ” leaders in this country in proving who and which party was “protecting and caring” for the particular minority more, at any cost and even by transcending many limits . The obverse face of this appeasement is heaping a complex of neglect and no importance on the majority community which is very unfortunately rather destined to silently pocketing insults and unsavoury remarks in respect of their Sanatan Dharam . It is an admitted fact that the immediate , ultimate and cumulative aim and ambition of the “very much secular” INDI alliance is somehow, but as soon as possible, to unseat Modi Ji and his government followed by what Congress President Kharge Ji openly exhorted that , “if we had won another 20 Lok Sabha seats, “they” all would have been in jail by now” .
See the intentions and just realise that efforts are not being made to provide and present a blue print of an alternative better performing government to justify unseating the current dispensation but just do acts of putting ”all of them” in jail and that also so quickly. Jail, but what for what Such a type of political discourse and such ways to undermining the hard earned democracy are, perhaps, justified because a set narrative is peddled that there is a government in power which is pushing forward ” an agenda of communalism ”. BJP, RSS, Nafrat, like pet chosen words rather arrows are lavishly ” shot ” by some self styled secular leaders thus sowing the seeds of mistrust, hate and fear which, very often, results in abreactions on roads . How much this all is a reality is fairly known to the appeaser ”secular” leaders but political compulsions, chiefly that of being out of power , are the motivations behind.
No stone possibly was left unturned in run up to 2024 general elections to ensure that the BJP led NDA alliance lost elections for which imaginary and manufactured narrative was peddled that “they were going to change the constitution” and the reservation guaranteed by the constitution was going to be “withdrawn” and that they “were to declare this country as a Hindu Rashtra” and what not. Though lies , distortions and canards have very little scope to operate over a long run , yet momentarily some objectives there-from are achieved also which we saw happening , resulting in the BJP failing to mop a majority on its own but the NDA alliance somehow made it to the third historical term under the leadership of Narendra Modi. The task before the INDI alliance or the opposition, therefore, became more challenging and slightly uphill hence devising means and ways whatsoever to take on their bête -noire who has been allegedly “pushing ahead an RSS agenda” . What is this “horrible” agenda which is only spoken about but not spelt out , is intriguing. Therefore, what can be more rewarding than the conventional appeasement followed by freebies – latter a Kejriwalian economic doctrine – and we see the same in abundance.
At the outset, it can be argued that an air of stability, scams and kickbacks and frauds free system , sound economic policies and consistent growth , overall peaceful environment, peoples’ welfare schemes, food production surpluses and shortages free delivery system , defence preparedness and near self sufficiency and the like , seen and felt since 2014 despite a natural calamity like Covid pandemic , which need to be consolidated for which political sagacity and approach are non-optional concomitants . Although lot is to be done and challenges on economic front like unemployment and addressing economic disparities taken on priority, yet it can be seen that ours is a fast developing economy doing better than even the most of developed economies. However, not a single act , repeat even one thing, achieved or done successfully by the current dispensation since 2014 till date, is hailed or even remotely acknowledged by the opposition . Sincerely asking , can there be not even one step, one decision, one policy, one achievement worth to be underlined by the opposition as being right if not fine?
BJP led NDA alliance may claim anything but on one front, it has not matched the opposition arsenal of treating every achievement as naught and as a zilch . It has not triumphed in highlighting its achievements and not effectively succeeded in making the grass root levels know about the “difference” or else it would not have lost as many as 70 vital LS seats in 2014 elections. It may be reiterated, we need an effective, performing, honest, bold and promising government that delivers and not a hotchpotch of varied forms which could focus on only how to keep clinging to power and survive attempts of getting dislodged intermittently as we saw during the days of “Fronts” , “Morchas”, “this and that “alliance”.
After the lines of prelude , as above, to the main theme of appeasement, one feels aghast as to how and why each and every progressive move/ legislation / new law and the like of Modi government is vehemently opposed so much so that a particular Law duly passed by the Parliament under the set constitutional norms is dubbed as against a particular community. Rahul Gandhi says Waqf Amendment Bill “attacks Muslims” . Says he, “This attack on the constitution by the RSS , BJP and allies is aimed at Muslims …” He , however, surprisingly chose not to speak in the Parliament debate on the Waqf Bill. Another secular leader Tejaswi Yadav walked a step forward by promising that once in power, he would throw the Waqf Amendment Bill (now Act) into “kodaydaan ” or the dustbin. Another secular leader – the CM of West Bengal says that once the BJP government was out , this amended Act would be reversed and amendments withdrawn. She, while addressing a meeting empathised with Muslim community by saying that “I realise your Dukh on account of the Waqf Act and I promise that it will not be implemented in West Bengal”.
The purgation of such “Dukh” was amply seen in places like Murshidabad and at other places in West Bengal. In Kolkota city , a frenzied mob was seen pulling down a Baghwa flag atop a private vehicle and the spot was witness to green and Palestine flags . A. Raja of the DMK questioned the very process of the JPC to which the Bill had been referred to for consultations, views, opinions, recommendations, suggestions and had numerous sittings . He said, “secular fabrics of the constitution embodied in its preamble itself are endangered ” by the amended Act. However, when disparaging and most pinching uncivilized remarks were spoken by DMK leaders including by him in respect of Sanatan Dharma , the secular fabrics of the constitution got ”strengthened”. TN assembly passed a resolution against the Waqf Bill ”cautioning” the bill to be against Muslims’ rights, against religious freedom , being unconstitutional , anti Waqf and harming the Muslim community . Akhilesh Yadav termed the amendment as ” going to hurt India’s secular image in the world as the amendment was being brought as part of the BJP’s divisive agenda”. One can only rue and scorn as well , the extent of appeasement by an Honob’le MP from Samajwadi Party Dharmendra Yadav over the prospective legislation on “one nation one election” by saying that the “move could adversely affect the Muslim community, it is anti Muslim”. But, how Yadav Ji? Congress , however, calls it unconstitutional but forgets that India’s democratic journey started with the same principle of simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies under Mr. Nehru ,the first Prime Minister , and even thereafter till 1970 when Indira Ji decided to do away with synchronised elections in India.
In short, any reform , any change and any move for the betterment of the people must be ”opposed ”if brought out by Modi government. That is secularism . CAA was propagated against to take citizenship rights away from Indian Muslims and we saw Shaheen Bagh . The lies blasted as not a single Indian lost citizenship. Law on Tripple Talaq was opposed. Article 370 abrogation was opposed. Proposal of population Control is opposed. Proposals of NRC and NPR are opposed . Proposal of UCC is opposed tooth and nail . How can the country in such avowed “opposing” move forward? And , how can anyone question the law making authority of the Parliament and daydream of not implementing the Waqf Act ? The only objective of the Waqf Act is to improve and streamline the efficiency of Waqf Boards , bringing in transparency and accountability, addressing thousands of pending litigations, ensuring partaking of benefits by the marginalised, poor, Pasmanda and deserving sections of the Muslim society. Finally, confrontation and even violence cannot achieve what peaceful means and reconciliation can . The choice, therefore, is inelastic.
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