Lay off from instigating masses

Brij Nath Betab
‘Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honour’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long’.
When the most powerful political person of our times , the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump during his recent visit to India described Prime Minister Sh. Narinder Modi as ‘a very strong person, very tough actually’, this stanza of the 19th century poet from Milton, William Ralph Emerson’s poem flashed in my mind. I recalled what the Prime Minister had said at a gathering of students at the Central Hall Westminster in London last year. Replying to a question about his stamina, the Sh. Narendra Modi in a’ well punctuated, dramatically paused’ and humorously articulated style had made everyone admire his oratorical genius. Mr. Modi had said that ‘to make this evening little enjoyable, let me say that for last two decades I have been eating two kilos of abuses daily’. For some the answer at that time was entertaining but just a year down the lane, we today realize what he had conveyed.
Whether his stamina is, high or low; he is the Prime Minister of India who represents in his own words Sawasov Crore Deshwasis ( 125 crore fellow citizens).
Alas all the 125 crore fellow citizens do not have faith in him/ his government, because their sentiments are being exploited for political gains. His every decision and every action by his government are being challenged. Some seek directions from judiciary and some instigate people to decide matters of their own through agitations on the streets.
This entire tirade has been providing fodder to India Baiters. The situation has taken to worst after the orchestrated protests at Shaheen Bagh and its aftermath. This has encouraged groups and individuals; even the media from America to Germany, from Turkey to Malaysia and from Pakistan to OIC, to vigorously meddle in India’s internal affairs and the tirade has posed challenges to not only governance but also to the brotherhood ethos of this nation.
The situation further exacerbated when a senior congress leader, a former Prime Minister of this country sort of jumping in the fray, said that ‘Nationalism and the slogan of Bharat Mata Ki Jai are being misused to construct a militant and purely emotional idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens’.
Before going any further let us find out what Bharat Mata Ki Jai means. This axiomatic adage has its roots in Vedas and the origin of this land Bharat owes its civilizational and cultural existence to those roots. Bankimchandra Chatterji fondly called Bhankim Babu, in his Anand Math novel in 1882 had ‘Perceived Bharat Mata as a concept and introduced Vande Mataram which became the motivating force for freedom fighters, irrespective of caste, colour and faith. Prior to that in 1873, a play written by K C Chatterji, titled Bharat Mata, was performed in Bengal. With regard to the origin of ‘national personification of India as mother Goddess, there are innumerable references in Vedas and other holy scriptures describing our land as our Mother. For instance, Rig Veda, the earliest one declares ‘ Janani Janm Bhumischea Swargadapi Gariyasi’ The mother and the motherland are superior to heaven. Atharva veda says, ‘The land is my mother and I am the son of earth’. In Prithvi Sukta it says ‘Maata Bhumih Putro Aham Prithivyaah’.
My contention is that if Vedas tell us that the Land is my mother and I say ‘I hail my mother Bharat” and someone tells me that this creates a ‘militant and emotional idea’ of India, I have serious objections. To me that would tantamount to attributing militant ideology to these wise words of the Vedas. That is highly objectionable and condemnable.
This congressman, perhaps in his frustration to woo at least a section of Indian voter, consequently damaged the spirit of unity in diversity that this nation is proud of. With Shaheen Bagh in his mind, the congress leader was apparently referring to Muslims. I posed this question to a young Muslim scholar of Kashmir, who is widely read. His prompt reply was that ‘Islam advocates Nationalism’. The difference is only that while Hindus glorify the Motherland as divine, “for Islam divinity belongs only to God”. This basic difference is well known and accepted. That is what has given rise to ‘Secularism’ in Indian context wherein we respect each other’s faith and beliefs. And for each of us nationalism is nationalism. It goes to the credit of the general masses of this land that for centuries we have lived in harmony and brotherhood.
Having said this, one cannot turn a blind eye to certain happenings in this country. To my mind, the proverbial shadow of the coming events was caused when Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government was overthrown by a single vote in Lok Sabha cast by a member of parliament from Jammu and Kashmir. The Ploy behind this sentiment was echoed openly and unambiguously by a former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state who reprimanded voters by saying that whosoever votes for Bhartiya Janata Party /Narendra Modi shall consign his self to the deep water of the sea. Then again another former Chief Minister of erstwhile state probably in her zeal to appease the militant ideology said and challenged Modi Government that if they tried to touch article 370, not a single person in Kashmir will be available to hold the national tricolour. Last seven months have proved both of them incorrect. However the trending line of this anti BJP sentiment passes through Delhi and reaches south, where leaders of a particular community have been using threats with expressions like fifteen minutes and fifteen crores.
The analysis of the results of recently held Delhi State Assembly elections pointed to an alarm for the nationalistic forces and the suspension of a party MLA by AAP leadership only confirmed that.
Some analysts and observers were of the view that the election results were the corroboration of the maturity of Indian democratic system but when a former Prime Minister of India says that raising the slogan “Bharat Mata Ki Jai is being misused to create a militant and purely emotional idea of India that excludes millions of its citizens”, writing on the wall becomes brighter. The writing is that with regards to Bharat Mata, all its children are not on the same page. This perhaps is a moment of eternity for the people of India.
There is no secret in the story that Congress Party is trying to somehow salvage its sunken titanic. To achieve that one of its leaders had earlier coined the term ‘Bhagwa terror’ but miserably failed to substantiate his claim. Today exploiting the sentiment of a section of society by odious reference to Bharat Mata Ki Jai is again aimed at that. This time also the wise and patriotic citizens of this land shall not come under their influence, but such utterances are bound to dent the secular fabric of our country. Politicians would do a great service to this nation if they lay off from instigating masses on the basis of religion, faith and beliefs and that too for petty political gains.
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