Discrimination against Hindus is destroying Hindu civilization

Discrimination against Hindus is destroying Hindu civilization

By J.G. Arora

— Author is a commentator on national issues..

( the views expressed are of the author only and do not represent any editoral approval – editor )

Before the Parliamentary elections of 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used to condemn the Indian National Congress Party’s pseudo-secular, minority-appeasing and discriminatory policies, and had also campaigned inter alia for “justice to all, and appeasement of none”, abrogation of Article 370, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir, uniform civil code etc. etc. However, after getting power in 2014, BJP has become self-alienated, and has ardently continued (and even expanded) all the pseudo-secular, discriminatory and minority-appeasing policies implemented by Congress-led UPA government during 2004 to 2014. Besides, it has forgotten its promises regarding Article 370, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir, uniform civil code etc. etc.

Pseudo-secular and discriminatory policies

Though genuine “secularism” implies one nation and one law, equal rights to all citizens, and non-discrimination on grounds of religion; and though Indian Constitution does not define the terms ‘majority’ and ‘minority’, and treats all citizens as equal before law, and prohibits discrimination against any citizen on the basis of religion; pseudo-‘secularism’ practised in India gives special rights for minorities (non-Hindus), but makes Hindus the victims of discrimination.

And to escape the discrimination which Hindus are subjected to, some Hindu sects proclaim that they are minorities, and they are not Hindu. While earlier, Ramakrishna Mission, a prominent Hindu organization, had claimed to be a non-Hindu religious minority, now a section of Lingayats in Karnataka is claiming to be a non-Hindu minority.

Thus, discrimination against Hindus is fragmenting Hindu society; and destroying Hindu religion and Hindu civilization.

Some of the discriminatory policies are described as follows:

i. Special benefits for minorities

Though Indian Constitution does not define the terms majority and minority, and though its Article 15(1) prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, vide the “National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992”, the nation was divided into majority and minority; and Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians were notified as minority communities in October 1993, and Jains in January 2014.

Congress-led UPA government constituted Sachar Committee; and also started the Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2006.

Sachar Committee’s Report, 2006 had recommended scholarships, loans, financial incentives, benefits, concessions and special schemes only for minorities; and excluded Hindus from said benefits. These recommendations were implemented by Congress party-led governments during 2004 to 2014.

  While BJP was in opposition, it had condemned the Sachar Committee’s recommendations and Congress Party’s policies as communal, divisive and “appeasement” of Minorities. But after getting power in 2014, BJP-led government is fervently implementing the same policies; and has also launched many new such schemes (for minorities) named in Hindi as “Nai Manzil”, “Nai Udaan”, “Naya Savera”, “Nai Roshni”, “Shaadi Shagun”, “Padho Pardesh” etc. etc. Besides, BJP-led government has been allocating thousands of crores of rupees for Minorities every year.

Apart from being discriminatory and dividing the nation into majority and minority, such divisive schemes violate the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in the Preamble of Indian Constitution.

            ii. Right to Education Act, 2009

Congress-led UPA government is remembered also for its discriminatory “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009”.

This Act provides for government’s ruthless control over Hindu-run schools while the Minority-run schools are exempt from this Act.

This Act requires Hindu-run schools to provide free education (with negligible compensation from government) to at least 25 per cent students from weaker sections, and also stipulates numerous stiff conditions for Hindu-run schools.

Since this Act is not applicable to minority-run schools, it has made the cost of running schools by Hindus prohibitive resulting in closure of thousands of Hindu-run schools all over the country thereby defeating the noble purpose of compulsory education.

On February 24, 2016, National Independent Schools Alliance protested at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi against this Act and appealed for its repeal or suitable amendment.

Though education is crucial for survival of any civilization; and despite the havoc caused by this Act to Hindu-run schools, BJP-led government is implementing this Act; and has done nothing to ensure that  all schools, whether run by majority or by minority community, are either covered by this Act, or are free from this Act.

iii. Rights under Articles 29 & 30

Articles 29 and 30 of Indian Constitution deal with cultural and educational rights of Minorities.

Article 30 entitles minorities, whether based on religion or language, to establish educational institutions of their choice.

Though Articles 29 and 30 were meant to ensure equality between majority and minority communities, in actual practice, Hindus have been deprived of freedom to run their educational institutions while minorities have been given full freedom in this regard.

Example of Ramakrishna Mission, a leading Hindu organization which apprehended the government’s takeover of its educational institutions is given here. Though its pioneers like Swami Vivekanand were glorious Hindus, to save its institutions under Article 30, Ramakrishna Mission unsuccessfully claimed before the Supreme Court that it was a (non-Hindu) religious minority.

Articles 29 and 30 must be amended to extend the rights stipulated therein to every community, whether majority or minority. No one can oppose the said amendment since it would just extend the said rights to Hindus without depriving minorities of the same.

iv. Kashmiri Hindus and Article 370

During 1980s and 1990, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed several Hindus in Kashmir forcing lakhs of Hindus to flee from Kashmir. Driven out from their ancestral homes, and deprived of their roots and rights, Kashmiri Hindus are leading a miserable life in cramped camps in Jammu, Delhi and other places.

Though Article 370 has all along been encouraging separatism and terrorism, and is responsible for genocide and eviction of Hindus from Kashmir, and though BJP’s Election Manifesto issued before Parliamentary elections in 2014 stated that “BJP remains committed to the abrogation of Article 370”, BJP-led government has done nothing to delete Article 370 so as to treat the State of Jammu & Kashmir like all other States, or to ensure the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir whose eviction from Kashmir is a glaring disgrace.

v. Government’s control over Hindu temples

All prominent Hindu temples all over India are under government’s control though no mosque or church is controlled by government. A large number of temples having assets worth thousands of crores of rupees have been taken over by the government.

Government’s control of Hindu temples and their estates is depriving Hindus of their right to religious freedom guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of Indian Constitution; and is also depriving Hindus of the self-supporting infrastructure of their places of worship.

Hindu temples must have the same freedom from government control as enjoyed by mosques and churches. Appropriate laws should be passed to restore Hindu temples to Hindu community.

vi. “Uniform Civil Code”

BJP’s Election Manifesto for Parliamentary elections of 2014 had promised implementation of Uniform Civil Code.

Though Uniform civil code will make India a really secular country; though Supreme Court has suggested its enactment in a number of judgements; and though Article 44 of Indian Constitution stipulates that, “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”, BJP-led government has done nothing in this regard.

It is shocking that though India claims to be a secular country, it does not have the uniform civil code though it has the uniform criminal code.

The only solution

Discrimination against Hindus will continue till the victims of discrimination stand up against it.

Solution lies in liberating India from the slavery of pseudo-secularism, and ensuring same laws and same rights for all Indian citizens irrespective of their religion.

Ideally, to liberate India from the slavery of pseudo-secularism, India must have a new strong nationalist political party which would give justice to every citizen, and would not discriminate against any citizen, whether belonging to majority or to minority community. However, till such a political party materializes, nationalists must assert themselves and launch a very strong, peaceful, constitutional and lawful movement, and demand that the government must take necessary steps to abolish the nation’s division into majority and minority; to remove the above-mentioned flagrant discrimination against Hindus; and to give the same rights to all communities, whether majority or minority.

This demand does not imply any special right for Hindus. This is the demand for same and equal rights for every Indian citizen regardless of his or her religion.

This is an achievable, a lawful and an indispensable goal. And this goal has to be accomplished if Hindu religion and Hindu civilization are to survive.