Ghettoism of Religion
By Poonam I Kaushish
Why do we revel in creating dissonance and divisiveness? And masquerade interests as principles? And why do we love churning the Ram-Rahim wheel a full circle in the ugly cesspool of religious intolerance making it the cause célèbre this week. Depending on which side of the secular-communal coin one is.
How else should one read the UP directive to eateries along the Kanwariya (Shiv bhakts) Yatra to display names of proprietors on stalls selling food, fruit and juice? Ostensibly, to avoid “confusion” among faithfuls. Really?
No matter BJP’s allies Nitish’s JD(U), Paswan’s LJP and Chaudhary’s RLD joined Opposition in echoing their criticism as exclusion by identity and against the Constitution, intended to target Muslims by forcing them to reveal their identity.
And what UP can do, two other BJP-ruled heartland States Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh copycatted the order. However, before the situation could spin out of control Supreme Court in an interim order nixed this, ruling shops in the three States should display the kind of food served in their eateries and owners didn’t need to display their names.
Raising a moot point: Are we slowly moving to ghettoisation of religion? Of communal dog-whistling? Of complicating matters in the larger social fabric?
Clearly, policing small businesses in the name of faith is not just discriminatory but also undermines people’s confidence in the State. Given one goes to a restaurant depending on the menu, not who the owner or server is?
From BJP’s point of view post its dismal performance in the just concluded elections where its tally saw a sharp dip from 62 in 2019 to 33, UP’s order has achieved dual objectives: Proving the law’s enforceability and affirming Chief Minister Yogi’s commitment to the Hindutva agenda. Notwithstanding, it lame excuse is to insure order, erase any confusion, bring transparency and maintain sanctity of pilgrims’ faith. As over the years the Yatra has been very peaceful.
In its defence the State Government cites the order was first issued by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2006 and later by Mayawati. Adding, the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 mandates displaying the FSSAI License/Registration Number at food premises.
Additionally, ahead of the upcoming elections for 10 State Assembly seats, Yogi aims to strengthen voter polarisation with this decision. He hopes this move will consolidate Hindu voters benefiting BJP in Ghaziabad, Kundarki and Meerapur which are affected by the Kanwar Yatraies. Other than Ghaziabad, Meerapur is held by RLD and Kundarki by SP.
Over the years BJP’s Hindu heartland States have been over-enthusiastic in projecting themselves as champions of the faith of the majority. A few years ago they banned sale of meat and non-vegetarian food along the Kanwariya route citing religious sentiments of pilgrims. Given the preponderance of the minority community in such business, the order was discriminatory by action, if not intent.
One can understand the strict insistence on vegetarian food during a Hindu religious yatra. The simplest solution to that is to frequent only vegetarian outlets, which probably kanwariyas have been doing. In fact, according to locals, non-vegetarian outlets are not allowed to remain open on the yatra route.
What then is the problem? Primarily, some vegetarian outlets are run by Muslims who have named their shops after Hindu deities to ‘mislead’ Hindus resulting in a ‘law and order’ problem. Whereby, vegetarian food becomes ‘impure’ if cooked in a Muslim establishment, owned by a Muslim or where Muslims are employees.
Bluntly, Boycott Muslim eateries and those who employ Muslims. If this is not untouchability, what is? Thereby, deepening divides along religious and caste lines. Who does one fault? Given our netas have perfected the art of injecting poison in society over the years.
Alas, politics has meandered into narrow confines of polarisation and appeasement rhetoric and orders, not only spreading hatred but also tilted towards widening the communal divide pitting Hindus against Muslims.
Undeniably, BJP’s new Hindutva rajneeti of polarization is attempting to make inroads into areas and regions even with little or no significant minority presence as it revolves around its pet slogan Sab Ka Saaath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Vishwas which translates: There is no need to treat Muslims as a separate social entity. Yet it realizes the ‘Muslim mind’ is still problematic.
As for Opposition Parties despite taking the Hindutva brigade to task over their anti-minority plank and opposing aggressive Hindutva consolidation, they do not want to be labeled as “pro-Muslim.” Reading the ‘Muslim mind’ as an anti-BJP phenomenon on which they base their political strategy.
Clearly, we are watching cut-throat communalism at work. Whereby, our netas have made creed the tour de force of Indian politics wherein the electoral incentive to use religion is too strong as it has electoral salience and appeal. Thus, in a milieu of competitive democracy which blots pledges of development, if politics based on religion ensures convergence of electoral booty and has better chances of polarising voters via processions and edicts inducing raw emotions of hostility and hate, so be it.
Who cares if it is destructive, stokes communal violence and sows seeds of rabid communalism and ghettosiation of religion? And no matter the nation is getting sucked into the vortex of centrifugal bickerings. Questionably, what do such incidents achieve? Zilch. Only the aam aadmi became targets. All forget that creating a divide does not achieve anything and neither does insult of a creed.
Undoubtedly, this ping-pong over who’s communal is scary. When selfish vote-banks politics dictate our polity’s political ideology, attitude and stance is fashioned according to the electorate’s diktat then all stand tarred by the same brush.
Certainly, warped religious nationalism spun by self-styled religious-political authorities and their cheerleaders who consider members of a certain community as pariahs and who spread fear and hate amongst the minority community need to be taught a lesson. Else, who will be safe in this country?
The time has come to rid India from the stranglehold of religious prejudices and separate religion from the State else we will become another Iran or Saudi Arabia. Remember, the State is apolitical and has no religion except the Constitution. In the present political scenario if only our polity could segregate religion from politics the problem of communal violence would end.
To combat this will require iron political will, a compact between all Parties on no use of religion for vote-bank politics. Unfortunately, India’s current fragmented political arena holds out little hope for such an eventuality.
In the ultimate our petty-power-at-all-cost polity needs to think beyond vote-bank politics and desist from playing the communal card for vote bank gains, look beyond the perilous implications of their decisions wherein the country is being pushed towards brazen communalism and delink religion from politics.
Time now for our leaders to delink divisive diktats from politics and open a “mohabbat ki dukan in a nafrat ka bazaar.” Their Constitutional office calls for sagacity and restraint. It’s inconsequential which side of the secular-communal coin one is. The aim should be to raise the bar on governance and equality, not lower it any more. Parties need to realize the collateral damage it causes will be permanent. Wounds do not heal for ages. Will they heed? — INFA