By Z. Lohe
India is a great nation in terms of the vastness of the country and its population. For decades, China remained the most populous nation on earth. Yet, at the moment it is reportedly assessed that India has overtaken China in its population size with 1.32 billion Indians as against 1.29 billion Chinese. The quoted Indian population figure will be confirmed by 2021.
Nevertheless, the vastness of landmass and density of its population of a country alone do not necessarily qualify that nation to become great in the true sense of the term. The genuine greatness of a nation lies on the question as to whether its citizens have the real peace and freedom, whether its citizens have the sense of happiness, the sense of security, the sense of justice and the sense of equality. A nation that does not protect but marginalizes the minorities and lacks compassion for the weaker section cannot become great. Recognizing, respecting and protecting the rights and sentiments of the minorities by people in power is the quintessence of the greatness of India and not otherwise. When a country gives protection to minorities, uplifts the poorer section of the society, provides security to downtrodden and ensures the flow of justice among the people that country is indeed great irrespective of its land size or population.
On the contrary, ever since BJP came to power in 2014, there has been incessant threats to the sense of security for the religious minorities as Christians and Muslims including Dalits in India. Taking advantage of BJPs’ rule and of 80% Hindu majority, the BJP’s pillars as RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, etc. started the campaign of ‘Ghar Wapsi’, the forcible proselytization of Christians and Muslims back into Hinduism started followed by the imposition of Hindi language. In the process, the Christian Calendars were altered and substituted with motivated events. Thirdly, in the guise of imparting the techniques of physical exercises to the masses, Yoga is now imposed on the people as those non-Hindus who participate in Yoga have to chant Hindu ritual mantras. And now the official ban on butchering cow and eating beef. Nagaland Page dated 1.7.2017 carried some accounts of how BJP activists have been killing citizens belonging to religious minorities in the name of venerating cow and its preservation. As much as ISIS is a threat to civilization in the world that much is the terror are the BJP’s pillar organizations to Christians, Muslims and Dalits under the regime of BJP. To fight against the menace of international terrorism is one of the major themes of Indian Prime Minister whenever he visits other countries. In the latest visits to USA and Israel by PM, the same subject figured prominently. I trust that India has genuine determination to be the potential partner of other likeminded nations to eradicate terrorism in the international arena. If so, India being governed by BJP, it is expected to walk the talk at home. As long as anti-Christian, anti-Muslim and anti-Dalits activities of BJP which are all human rights violation acts are not contained under NDA, shouting against terrorists and their extremism in foreign countries by any Indian is farcical and double talk.
We, the Christians, are the indigenous inhabitants in our respective States, having our own lands and living in our own villages and towns. Similarly, those Dalits and Muslims too are equally indigenous in many States. Despite of we being religious minorities, we are as much original inhabitants of our respective States as much as the claim of the Hindus. We are neither the refugees from other foreign countries nor the tenants of Hindus. We are neither the servants to Hindus but we are equals. Who the hell cares for 80% Hindu majority. Neither Hindus are indispensable nor non-Hindus are obsolete but both have equal importance in the making of India.
Unlike USA, Australia, Canada or European countries which are facing acute refugee problems, India has been facing manageable Bangladeshi immigrants in the North East. Yet, are the Hindus growing so tired with the religious minorities in India? Does BJP think that subduing all the non-Hindus into Hinduism can make India a greater nation? Can one nation one religion philosophy make India a respectable nation in the world? ‘I respect the Indian culture” said Netanyahu, PM of Israel to counterpart Narendra Modi, PM of India in Jerusalem. BJP’s pillar organisations like RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal are perhaps feeling elated as though Jerusalem has endorsed their culture of intolerance. I rather read that message of Israel to contain high degree of sarcasm for the Hindu fanatics to read between the lines and realize the image of India in international community.
The Hindus are at liberty under the Constitution of India to glorify your sacred cow. The non-Hindus do not interfere in your glorification of your goddess cow. And as much constitutional rights the Hindus have to venerate the sacred cow that much amount of fundamental rights the Muslims and Christians have to eat the cow as much and as long as they like. Thus, accepting natural dissimilarities of each other by all is constitutional called secular.
‘Unity in Diversity’ is the most befitting coinage for the ground realities in India. The nation builders and the framers of Indian Constitution ensured to protect and preserve the diverse cultures, religions, traditions and languages of all communities under the provision of secularism. Those pioneers loved the Indian garden hoarded with all varieties of fruit trees and flowers bearing fruits and blooming at respective seasons throughout the year, and they had constitutionally ensured its preservation. Yet, all what BJP is trying directly and indirectly today is to destroy all those natural varieties and allow only lotus to bloom. Nevertheless, neither lotus alone can make India a garden nor can lotus make it beautiful without other varieties.
Today, the Hindu gods are found to be cruel, arrogant, sadistic, brutish and nasty. The fact is that the worshippers of Hindu gods are found zealous in killing Dalits, Muslim beef consumers and followers of Jesus Christ in India in the defence of cow. The Hindu gods are rudely uncultured, intolerant, totally fascistic and nihilistic. In other words, the believers of Hindu gods undermine the God of others and trying to destroy the traditions and cultures of other religions. Hinduism is found to be intimidating and destructive religion as its activists are hell bent to bully non-Hindus and to annihilate them from India. Those Hindu gods are therefore satanic harming the integrity and unity of India. This is how the greatness of India is harmed by Hindus under BJP and this is how India’s popularity is decimated in the process of imposition of Hindu cultural fascism on others. This is how the international face of India is defaced under the rule of BJP.
The Christians in Nagaland who are members of NPF and BJP may not have anti-minority policy similar to that of BJP’s pillar bodies as RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal. Yet, since NPF is married to BJP, whatever the husband does, the wife has to simply endorse it without grudge. The BJP members in Meghalaya resigned from the party in protest against ban on slaughter of cow by BJP. However, I have not come across such reaction of any Naga BJP worker. Nagaland has the highest concentration of Christian population in India. How much fellow Christians, particularly those facing persecutions in the hand of BJP in Hindu majority States, expect voices of support from Nagaland. Yet, both Nagaland BJP and NPF have to tug its tails in between its legs for fear of reprisal and thus Nagaland as a Christian State miserably failed to stand by and show our solidarity with the suffering fellow Christians and other minorities in the country. The State Govt.’s silence on human rights violations in the country is indeed abetting all those anti-Christian activities of BJP’s pillar organisations.
