The recent incidents of violence in the name of Hindu ideology have created unrest in the minds of secular Indians. BJP says that similar or worse incidents have occurred in the past which have not received the same treatment by the ‘secularists’. They are right. But the problem is that BJP, which is viewed as ‘Hindutva’ party, is in power and such incidents can be easily be viewed as ‘blessed by the state’. True, the PM cannot speak out to clarify the government’s stand on every such incident. But, again, this is not an ordinary government. This is Modi government all in and all out. Therefore, people don’t take anyone in the government seriously, except Modi. It is good that he is making statements that put his irresponsible partymen and ‘well wishers’ in their places. He is intelligent enough to know that such incidents if not controlled, will soon spiral into a whirlwind that will uproot his development agenda and erode the goodwill he is trying to create abroad.
The other fundamental problem that Modi is facing is his inability or helplessness in differentiating Indian Culture from Hindu Religion. Culture is much more accommodating and free than religion which is bound by a set of rules. The word ‘culture’ connotes openness and harmony while the word ‘religion’ connotes restrictiveness and control. Culture has loosely defined guidelines while religion has strictly defined rules. That’s why, cultures evolve with time but religions resist change.
Hinduism is more often referred to as a ‘way of life’ or culture than as a religion. That’s why secular hindus fear guardianship for, in cultures there are no power centers. Hinduism has stood the test of time only because it is a culture.
Every religion has a culture associated with it. And this culture is highly localised. If you come across a secular Muslim or a Christian they will most certainly be following the culture associated with their religions and not respecting the religions’ power centers.
Intolerance is another hallmark of religious powers. There is a growing tendency among the Modi ‘followers’ to ‘kill’ any voice of opposition. Anyone who questions Modi is immediately stamped as ‘anti national’. Writers and artists who protest by their own non-violent means are ridiculed and and stamped as ‘pseudo secularists’. Certainly this is not a representation of Indian culture which is respected by the whole world for its tolerance.
Agreed, we need to uphold the Indian culture. For this, we need a society governed by cultural values than by religious values. Benefits to people should be based on merit and economic status. Appeasement of religious minorities for political gains should be stopped. So is enforcement of the beliefs of the religious majority (beef ban is a case in point.) While the former causes grudges in the minds of the majority, the latter causes fear in the minds of the minorities. Both come in the way of forming a uniform civil code which is essential for a well integrated, harmonious society.
BJP, has intentionally confused culture with religion in order to come to power. However, they as a political party cannot sustain in power ignoring secular Indians, for there are many of them who voted Modi to power in support of his development agenda. Modi knows this too well. And as long as he does, he will keep the secular fabric of the country intact - whether his ‘well wishers’ like it or not.