Ever growing clout of Saffron forces has weakened the frame of Indian democracy today. In other words, the over brimming enthusiasm of the Hindu nationalists has diminished the importance of democracy in the country. These enthusiasm and dominant approach of the destructive elements have been spurred by the sky-rocketing popularity of the man behind the spectacular Saffron shows.There is not an iota of doubt that practicing Yoga is for good health. However the very intention of the Saffron forces (in the Yoga campaign) has irked particularly the Muslims and the Christians. Such pugnacity is nothing but violation of civil decency and display of inhumanity which will only complicate the already precarious society.
When the Hindu nationalists start shooting their agenda by placing their guns on the shoulder of the government it is natural that a sense of insecurity will prevail in the psyche of the other religious groups which will in turn dismantle every feature or building block of the great Indian nation. We don’t think it is a descriptive mistake about India by Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar and others that ours is ‘unity in diversity’.
When the government directed every group and institution to celebrate the Yoga Day, the Christians and the Muslims felt that “it does not deserve celebrations and support”. This is because the ‘world has come to the conclusion—more defiantly than should have been needed—that culture matters’, to borrow the words of Amartya Sen.
Globalization has sharpened the identity consciousness of the smaller groups. In a time such as this, dominant group imposing its agenda is going to be countered by the highly charged and alert smaller groups. And we cannot say that such continuous assaults on the smaller groups need not demand that national allegiances of the latter be replaced by something else.
