B Thohü Shuru
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]f late, in shocking manner, MP and Ministers of BJP and its alliance have behaved appallingly ugly and spew out controversial comments in row. For uncivil conduct and bad mouthing they appear as clowns in the circus of politics. They make news for narcissistic publicity by exposing their insular mindset on sensitive issues. One can only conclude that these political clowns are pregnant with mind of divisiveness. Throwing off all the set standards and principles of a leader they have stooped and disregarded the idea of India base on plural culture and religion under the constitution.
In row they shocked the nation. Shiv Sena MP from Thane, an alliance of BJP, forced a ‘Chapatti’ into a fellow citizen’s mouth, a Muslim who was on fasting. If picture don’t lie, the Shiv Sena MP’s misconduct was browbeat and intimidation. One sees such surreal action acted only in celluloid screen. In Goa, a cabinet minister of Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an alliance of BJP, had said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi India would develop into Hindu nation, and his brother, Sudin who is also a minister of same party (MGP) demanded for ban of bikini in Goa beaches, pubs, and miniskirts. In Telengana a BJP minister, who is said to be a doctorate, not only opposed Sania Mirza for ambassador status but also insulted her saying she is a ‘Daughter-in-law of Pakistan’ . Beside, Tokadia’s utterance of “people who don’t support Modi must go to Pakistan” is still fresh in people’s memory.
Just two months have passed since the BJP has formed government with tall promise of good governance, development, employment, and economic growth. One expects change from BJP government and also to keep India nation sewed in one piece respecting the diversity in religion, caste, race, minority and majority. Modi sarkar also promised ‘achche din’ to the nation. But some of its leaders are pitching polarisation. This is not a healthy development. Wounds in the limb affects the whole body so the Modi Sarkar has responsibility to open its mouth and put right the disturbing remarks of its leaders with appropriate statement. More important, Shiv Sena and MGP ought to own up moral admission of the wrong committed by their leaders. But this is not forthcoming. Instead, air of arrogance is blown by the party leaders. BJP alliance with like-minded political parties is more than a political convenience; their tied-knot has deeper relation in ideals and ideology. BJP’s silence on the controversy does not give positive message. Can the BJP government let these leaders get away and say what they want?No top leaders of BJP and its alliance, except L.K. Advani, have come out with comment on the issue. Distancing from the issue in silence with no appropriate statement forthcoming from BJP and its alliance implies that they are slowly beginning to expose their rightist agenda of Hindutva ideology, an ideology persistently tagged with BJP, and feared time and again by the minorities. The RSS as a driving force behind BJP is seemingly beginning to be active from its dormancy as witness in Gujarat where school textbooks by Dinanath Batra (RSS), a foreword written by Modi during his chief ministership in Gujarat, has been imposed in all government schools for compulsory reading. The textbooks content fictions like ‘motor car existed in Vedic period’, ‘TV was invented during Mahabharata’, ‘stem cell study was there during Kunti period’ and by ‘respecting cows infertility can be cured’. This is beyond logic and anachronistic in this modern age. If ever BJP faces down sliding popularity in the coming days from the eyes of the people, the backbone of India nation, it will have to blame the polarisation card of rightist agenda. This political card has its inherent vein of communal violence and bloodshed. Idea of India stands well-defined and distinct for its unity in diversity but if BJP ignore this fact, who knows, the pessimists’ doom prophesies that India would be torn apart on issues like culture, language, and religion may come true.
Modi sarkar cannot talk of good governance, development, economic growth and promise ‘achche din’ to the people on the one hand while on the other hand allow its MPs and Ministers to spew out venom that would create social disharmony and remain silent about the issue. Prime Minister Modi has large following in his twitter accounts. After Narendra Modi was sworn-in as the prime minister the official website for the country’s Prime Minister is said to have undergone a swanky makeover to reflect the Modi brand. Modi himself has said that he firmly believe the power of technology and social media to communicate with people across the country and draw more people to it for information about the Government and governance. The nation would have been satisfied if he has twitted a comment in regard to recent controversies created by some leaders of BJP and its alliance. His silence on the issue is quite surprising.
Prime Minister Modi is said to have a disdain for media. He does not have a media advisor, like his predecessor, and also does not take along an entourage of journalists in his recent foreign tours. He has also strictly instructed his ministries not to interact with the media. Perhaps, following this stricture no senior BJP leaders have come out with comments on the controversial remarks, and all that we have from spoke persons of the party is nothing more than dodgy answers. The BJP government cannot wish away the issue or wait to let it cool off from the peoples’ attention nor can the government run away from the prying media that can shape people’s mind. Let’s not forget that though Modi disdain media, he at the same time understood the power of media and in all his public rallies he exhorted the crowd to wave and chant slogans so that media men could capture their support for Modi on their cameras.
The BJP in power now has its own policies on governance, development, economic growth, and foreign relation which of course will no doubt be oriented towards nation’s interest. But one policy of concern that would pose threat to India’s plural culture and religion is the rightist agenda that seems to be emerging as witness few days back. Modi government’s silence on this issue sends out negative message. Because BJP’s talk of good governance and development while at the same time allowing its leaders to fume division through right wing agenda would be termed as hypocrisy. Good governance would means giving security to the people through peaceful environment and containing such divisive tendencies. Critics have been fairly uncritical so far because they are yet to see how far the BJP could match the words with action in their promises. In this aspect, the BJP government taking a silence option does not contain the potent threat posed by irresponsible leaders to India’s unity in diversity.
