 |
|
|
Introduction: The public is confused by policies and actions carried out in the name of secularism. This is leading to resentment in the majority community. The following article in the form of a questionnaire was prepared by Dr. K.S. Shadaksharappa, a leading physician and educator of Bangalore.
After being the dominant ideology for several decades, what politicians and many intellectuals call 'secularism', is increasingly coming under attack. Recently, a leading national magazine brought out special issue under the heading "Is secularism dead?" Many see it as nothing but minority appeasement, simply a cover for vote bank politics. They point to the fact that the so-called 'secularists' were late to condemn the attack on the Sabarmati Express where scores of Hindu pilgrims were burnt alive, but found their voices only when the Hindus began to retaliate. Several critics also pointed out that the same secularists have been silent over the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, and also the daily atrocities in Jammu.
The first question therefore is- what really is secularism? The dictionary of course is quite clear on the point: secular refers to any activity unconnected with religion, and a secular government is one in which religion plays no role. This however does not apply to India where the law of the land is not the same for everyone. To take an example, marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance laws are different for different religious groups. Not only that, demanding uniform treatment under the law is considered 'communal' and said to go against the 'secular fabric' of the nation.
Will someone please explain how different treatment of different religious groups is secular?
To get around this obvious difficulty, some politicians and intellectuals claim that in the Indian context, secularism must be interpreted to mean equal treatment of all religions. Even this, however, is not true in practice. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living Center recently said in an interview: "In the Indian context, we have respect for all religions. Privilege for one religion above the other is not right. In our country the majority religion does not get facilities. Those people who go to the kumbh mela have to pay taxes whereas people are given a grant to go to Haj. These are disparities. That's why there is a sense of resentment in the majority community."
This is only the beginning. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar pointed out in the same interview: "The minority community institutions are fully exempted from taxes whereas majority community institutions are not. In Karnataka, we have 40,000 temples. The income from these temples is Rs 40 crore. Only Rs 50 lakh is spent on the temples, the rest goes to the government. Whereas grants are given to the minority communities (to an extent of Rs 8 crore) while their income is only Rs 50 lakh. These disparities should go. Everybody should be treated equally."
This means, in effect, money is being taken from temples and channeled to Muslim institutions like mosques and madrasas, which are often breeding grounds for anti-national activity. Even this is only the tip of the iceberg, for Karnataka does not have any major pilgrimage centers. How much greater it must be in states like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala with great pilgrimage centers like Tirupathi and Guruvayoor that draw devotees from all over the world?
Will someone please explain how diverting money from temples to mosques is 'secular'?
This kind of discrimination against the majority-or giving privileges to minorities-extends to businesses also. There are 'minority' educational and health care institutions that receive tax privileges though they have no religious activities. For example, the St. John's Medical College and the Manipal Hospital in Bangalore are both considered minority institutions and enjoy tax benefits. But they are purely commercial organizations that have nothing to do with religion. In addition, their students, patients, faculty and other staff are overwhelmingly from the majority community. This, and not religious instruction is what brings them money. There are also other commercial enterprises like shopping centers and even bars and discotheques that run on property owned by religious organizations and are therefore tax exempt. So 'minority religion' is just a front to avoid paying taxes.
Will someone please explain how avoiding taxes in the name of religion is 'secular'?
The situation gets even more confusing when we get to politics, which is only to be expected. Following the recent explosion in Gujarat, there have been cries from the 'secular forces' to remove its Chief Minister. Interestingly, there were no such calls after the burning alive of passengers on the Sabarmati Express, where the victims were all Hindus. There have been other such instances. A few years ago, more than a hundred pilgrims going to Amarnath were massacred. Over the past ten years, Hindus have been systematically eliminated in Kashmir, and lakhs of Kashmiri Hindus have been living as refugees in Delhi. Yet, there has never been call for the removal of the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. This raises an interesting question: would the secular leaders have demanded the removal of the Gujarat CM if the Hindus had not retaliated-meaning if only Hindus had been victims? Also, what right do politicians of other states have to tell the people of Gujarat who should or should not be their leader?
Will someone please explain how it is secular to remove leaders when the victims belong to the minority and not when they belong to the majority?
Given these glaring contradictions and the resulting confusion, it is natural that the majority community should increasingly feel that governments and the courts are set against them. And believing that no one is concerned about their interests, they have decided to take it upon themselves to protect their interests. Gujarat is an example. If present trends continue, there will be many more.
Incidentally, there is a simple
if cynical way of answering all the questions posed and resolving the confusion:
In India, secularism means minority communalism. Politicians and a part
of the intelligentsia have been fooling the public by calling it secularism.
This has now been unmasked, for as Abraham Lincoln once said, you cannot
fool all the people all the time.
|
|
|