B L Saraf
For the libertarians who train guns on the Modi Government and the fellows of Award Wapsi tribe, catch phrase is “pause and examine”. For them it has become a cliché to find untenable and imaginary reasons to cry hoarse and denounce the present Government as intolerant. Reams have been written to expose their selective outrage. However, it doesn’t occur to these ‘conscience keepers ‘that, in fact, it is they who look intolerant by refusing to attend the Bangalore Literary Fest: simply on the pretext that the chief organizer has expressed views on the award return specter which are not to their liking.
For a change, it is time for us to “pause and examine “motives of these ‘progressives’ and the destabilizing role some of them played whenever a Government with a nationalistic outlook came to the helm at the Centre.
Recall times of 1977 when Janata Party Government came to rule India, after the disastrous period of emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, in 1975, had come to an end. Janata Party was an amalgam of various parties like Congress O , Swatantra Party, Jana Sangh ( now BJP) SSP, PSP and other smaller out fits, formed to challenge the authoritarian streak in Indira Gandhi. This was not to the liking of the fellow travelers. So, before the Government could run its course, a demolition brigade was activated from within. Socialist Madhu Limaye was chosen to do the job. He was taken on a “progressive pilgrimage´” to the Mecca of Communism –Moscow. Having a refresher course on the perils of “Double Membership”, Limaye, who earlier had no compunction in cohabitating with Jana Sangh, in 1967, to form Samyukht Vidayak Dal ( SVD) governments in UP and other Hindi speaking states after the collapse of Congress, saw many faults in simultaneous member ship of two parties, and started a campaign against what he and the other fellow travelers called a curse of “Double Membership”. The assault was on Jana Sangh, whose members had an open association with RSS , but the intended target was the Janata Party. Short was fired at an important constituent like Jana Sangh but, in reality, it was aimed at the dismemberment of the Government lead by Morarji Dessai. The Government was an eyesore to the forces who never felt comfortable with the idea of a nationalist Government at the centre.
The idiosyncrasies of PM Dessai , ambitions of some of the constituents, inept handling of Indira Gandhi by the Home Minister Charan Singh, machinations of the socialists and the deft planning of Sanjay Gandhi ensured a premature fall of the Dessai Government and subsequent disintegration of the Janata Party.
The same shouting brigade, brought up on the so called progressive Government’s patronage, went hammer and tongs against earlier NDA Government lead by A B Vajpayee.
The communists and the so called progressives have bitten dust world over. But we still have some remnants of the species. They may have shrunk in numbers and become irrelevant, but they still retain their mischief value. The so called progressives and the liberals have a grouse that with Narendra Modi coming on the national scene the Hindu identity has become central to being Indian. PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis on Yoga, Ayurveda and describing Holy Gita as an invaluable Book to be gifted to the heads of Government, who host him, is to these liberals “prioritizing narratives that connects India’s past to its current – nation – sate identity, and marginalizing interpretations giving primacy to secularism .” Which, they feel, is unacceptable to them. That is why we see a procession of suddenly awakened and conscience bitten award wapsi ‘ liberals’.
Well , one may like it or not the fact is that India is inhabited by the people 80% of whom are Hindus . It is a different matter that it doesn’t show of in the matters of governance. Because, Government is conducted under a Constitution which is secular, both, in letter and the spirit . Given demographic composition of the country , pervading influence of the majority community on the social aspect of state’s functioning cannot be completely avoided. Care ,however, must be taken that it does not adversely impinge upon the religious affairs of other countrymen. Even a self pro claimed agnostic, Jawahar Lal Nehru couldn’t escape the over bearing influence of Hindu tradition, when he had willed that after his death a portion of the ashes should be immersed in Sangam Allabad, where rivers Ganga, Yamuna and unseen Triveni have a confluence.
The pallbearers of secularism and liberty in India must know that USA is a democratic and a liberal country whose people loath to see a non- Protestant as their President. Moreover, the President elect has to take oath on Bible, administered by a Christian High Priest , before he or she enters the office. Then follows a official service in a Church to set the presidency under way. The practice , however, makes US no less a liberal or secular state. That is bound to happen because America is country of more Christians than people of other faiths. Remember, we have, once our own, Bobby Jindal flaunting Christianity, his adopted faith , in full public gaze just to gain legitimacy for a contest to the highest executive post in America.
(The author is former Principal District &Sessions Judge)
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