BJP’s pseudo-secularism and hypocrisy
By J.G. Arora
– Author is a commentator on national issues.
se are the personal views of the author and do not represent views of either Patriots Forum or the editor
In the apt words of Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian and author of ‘The March of Folly’, “Disasters of history are the result of the government’s folly and perverse persistence in pursuing the policies contrary to national interests”.
Though real ‘secularism’ means separation of state and religion, and non-discrimination on grounds of religion; one nation and one law; and same rights and duties for all citizens; in India, anything which is anti-Hindu, pro-Muslim, divisive and even anti-national is ‘secularism’.
And this fake ‘secularism’ is dragging India to a looming disaster.
Bharat Varsha, comprising the present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and even a part of Iran was Hindu land with zero Muslim population till Muhammad bin Qasim’s Arab army attacked Sindh in 711. Despite defending their motherland heroically during repeated invasions over the centuries, Hindus lost Afghanistan in 987, and the lands now known as Pakistan and Bangladesh to Muslims in 1947.
Logically in 1947, on India’s partition on religious basis and creation of Pakistan for Muslims as demanded by Muslims, truncated India should have been declared a Hindu republic to re-assert its Hindu identity. However, an outrageous ‘secularism’ as described above was imposed on truncated India.
The weird ‘secularism’ practised in India by various political parties has resulted, inter alia, in division of the nation into majority and minority, crores of Pak-Bangla infiltrators grabbing India; genocide and eviction of Hindus from Kashmir; global missionary organisations indulging in conversions; government control over prominent Hindu temples whereas no mosque or church is touched by such control; Article 370 granting special status to Muslim majority Jammu & Kashmir; scholarships, free-ships and incentives to non-Hindus by Central and many State governments; opposition to uniform civil code; and provision of Haj subsidy though none of 57 Islamic countries gives any such subsidy etc. etc.
BJP embraces ‘pseudo-secularism’ after its victory
Fed-up with Congress-led UPA government’s pseudo-secular, divisive, destructive, and appeasement policies from 2004 to 2014; and impressed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s nationalist agenda like justice to all and appeasement of none, uniform civil code, abolition of Article 370, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir, minimum-government & maximum-governance, tackling Pak-Bangla infiltrators, countless nationalists had worked day and night to bring BJP into power in 2014’s parliamentary elections.
Shockingly, after the massive victory in 2014’s elections, though Gandhi-ism means appeasement, self-negation, surrender and pathway to slavery, BJP and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi have become totally Gandhian and pseudo-secular; and have continued Congress-led UPA’s pseudo-secular, divisive, destructive and appeasement policies; and have forgotten nationalist issues like ‘justice for all and appeasement of none’, uniform civil code, abolition of Article 370, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir, Pak-Bangla infiltration, Haj subsidy, etc. etc. .
Like UPA, BJP-led government has also done nothing to implement the Supreme Court’s judgements dated July 12, 2005 and December 5, 2006 to deport crores of Bangladeshi infiltrators grabbing India.
And though while in opposition, BJP had strongly opposed the recommendations of Sachar Committee appointed by the UPA government, and dubbed the same as divisive and communal, BJP-led government is busy in implementing Sachar Committee’s recommendations.
And in Jammu & Kashmir, BJP has entered into a self-destructive coalition with PDP by abdicating its core agenda including the abrogation of Article 370. BJP’s “Agenda of Alliance” with PDP is being seen as the ‘Agenda of Betrayal’ since it rejects everything for which people had voted for BJP.
On April 4, 2016, students of National Institute of Technology, Srinagar who chanted nationalist slogans, or waived the national flag were brutally beaten up by Jammu & Kashmir Police; and the government was unable to uphold the dignity of national flag, and provide security to students.
Furthermore, even the Union Budgets presented in 2014, 2015 and 2016 have continued the policies of UPA government.
Besides, like UPA, BJP has adopted a soft policy towards terrorism and Pakistani-Bangladeshi demographic invasion.
Shockingly, BJP has embraced the same pseudo-secularism it used to find disgusting in Indian National Congress. Accordingly, the present BJP-led government can be called as ‘UPA 3’, the only difference being that Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh has been replaced by Shri Narendra Modi.
Delhi & Bihar reject BJP
To have power just for the sake of power or for self-glorification is self-destructive. BJP and Shri Narendra Modi have forgotten who had voted for them and why.
Since ‘Congress-free Bharat’ means liberation from Congress policies; and not the continuation of Congress policies, many of those who had worked for BJP’s victory in 2014 are feeling cheated.
BJP’s rout in Delhi Assembly elections in 2015 (where it won just 3 out of 70 seats whereas in 2014, it had won all the Lok Sabha seats from Delhi), and in Bihar Assembly elections in 2015 (where BJP has been reduced to 53 seats from 180 assembly segments it had led in 2014 Parliamentary elections) shows disillusionment with BJP’s pseudo-secular policies and abdication of its nationalist agenda.
And if BJP continues its pseudo-secular march, it would be wiped off also in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2017.
The only solution
BJP is frittering away the massive mandate it obtained to implement the nationalist agenda and to liberate the nation from fake-secularism. Instead, it is busy in shedding its nationalist image, and in implementing the pseudo-secular, communal and appeasement policies of Congress party.
Though BJP’s record in power in Centre from 1999-2004, and also from May, 2014 onwards shows that BJP uses nationalism as the means to get power; and after getting power, it embraces pseudo-secularism, it has to take the following steps for its own survival, and for liberating the nation from pseudo-secularism:
i. Since genuine secularism means one nation and one law; no division of the nation into majority and minority; and no discrimination against any community; BJP must work to undo the fake-secularists’ division of the nation into majority and minority. Rather, BJP should work for justice for all; appeasement of none; and same rights and duties for all citizens.
ii. Article 30 of Indian Constitution entitling the minorities ‘to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice’ has divided the nation into majority and minority, and has led to damaging consequences.
BJP should ensure that Article 30 is suitably amended to give the Fundamental Right as per Article 30 to all citizens, whether belonging to minority or to majority.
For this purpose, a Constitution (Amendment) Bill should be introduced in Parliament at the earliest to amend Article 30 suitably. No one can oppose the said amendment which just proposes to give the said fundamental right to every citizen without depriving minorities of the same.
With the proposed amendment of Article 30, the government would be debarred from interfering with Hindu educational institutions as is the case with minority institutions; and thus, Hindus shall be treated at par with other communities.
Similarly, Article 29 dealing with “Protection of interests of minorities” should also be suitably amended to give the Fundamental Right stipulated therein to every citizen, whether belonging to minority or to majority.
iii. Since Article 370 negates the very concept of one unified India, and since this Article is responsible for genocide and eviction of Hindus from Kashmir, government must work for deletion of Article 370 to bring Jammu & Kashmir’s complete integration with the rest of India.
iv. The government should ensure the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir whose eviction and pathetic life as refugees in their own country is a glaring consequence of ‘pseudo-secularism’.
v. Government must initiate necessary action to implement uniform civil code as per Article 44 of the Constitution which stipulates that “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”.
Moreover, enactment of uniform civil code has been stressed repeatedly in the Supreme Court’s judgements including those reported as Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum (AIR 1985 SC 945), Smt. Sarla Mudgal v. Union of India (AIR 1995 SC 1531) and John Vallamattom v. Union of India (AIR 2003 SC 2902).
vi. Government’s control of Hindu temples and their estates amounts to suppression of Hindus’ fundamental right of religious freedom guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of Indian Constitution.
BJP should work for liberation of Hindu temples and shrines from government’s control so that Hindus enjoy the same religious rights as enjoyed by other communities.
vii. Supreme Court’s judgements dated July 12, 2005 and December 5, 2006 to deport crores of Bangladeshi infiltrators must be implemented; and continuing Pak-Bangla influx must be curbed.
viii. All Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh road and rail journeys, cultural and sports relations, and peace talks should be discontinued till Pakistan and Bangladesh stop their terrorist and demographic invasion against India.
If BJP continues to be pseudo-secular?
Much of the injury the nation is suffering is self-inflicted by tolerating the politics of pseudo-secularism. If BJP continues to be pseudo-secular, and does not take the above-mentioned steps, nationalists should not get immobilized by BJP’s duplicity. Rather, instead of relying on BJP, all selfless nationalists and their social & religious organisations must become more pro-active, and launch a strong and committed nationalist political party at the earliest as the ideal political alternative to work for the above-mentioned nationalist agenda in order to save India from the tyranny of fake-secularism, to ensure justice for all and appeasement of none, and to save Hindu civilization and Hindu identity of truncated India.
And there is no other way to save India from looming disaster.
10 Responses to “BJP’s pseudo-secularism and hypocrisy : J.G.Arora”