The broad issue being raised is whether India is a tolerant country or notIJ The dominant ethos of our civilisation is one of plurality of communities, philosophies and world views.
Our country is the birthplace of four major world religions of Hinduism, Budhism, Jainism and Sikhism. This could not have been possible if the major ethos of our civilisation were not of tolerance and accommodation.
Now, it is being propagated that this tolerance is vanishing. If it is true, who are responsible for thisIJ Who ruled our country since IndependenceIJ For about 60 years, the Congress has been in power and in most of the States since Independence.
Can tolerance, which is genetically ingrained in the ethos of our motherland, be made to vanish in just one-and-half-year of the Modi ruleIJ What is happening now that did not happen during the Congress ruleIJ
Communal violence was a matter of pattern and routine during the Congress rule for many years because of its vote bank politics. And such incidents used to happen more regularly at the time of elections and there was a pattern to it.
When economy is getting revived and country is being respected and recognised and international investors are coming, institutions after institutions ranking India higher and the Indian PM is getting more and more admiration across the globe and in India, some of our political opponents are not able to digest the growing popularity of the PM and the Government.
They try to blow things out of proportion. They try to blame the Central Government for the inaction of the States. Dadri happened in Uttar Pradesh, a SP-ruled State. Shri Kalburgi’s killing happened in Karnataka, a Congress-ruled State. Even Shri Dabolkar’s murder happened in Maharashtra during the Congress regime. But our opponents blame the Centre!
Writers are creative persons whose works reflect socio-economic evolution of communities. They capture the nuances of these ground realities for wider understanding. They have a right to criticise aberrations, if any. That is their domain.
Some of them have preferred to return Sahitya Akademi Awards given to them after Dadri and Kalburgi incidentsIJ I have no issue with it. But I have a problem if they seek to highlight that these things are happening just because the BJP is in power at the Centre.
Joining the pseudo-secularist bandwagon are some writers, filmmakers, artistes who are hell bent on creating false sense of anarchical atmosphere in the country. Where were these voices when the greatest and immortal poetry and literature of Kashmir were up in flamesIJ Many of these voices did not open and pens did not move. You have a mass genocide of the intelligentsia of Kashmiri pundits in the Valley. Tongues were chopped off. The so-called academicians were missing from action. When Kalburgi was killed, it has been termed as some kind of a Hindu Right-wing conspiracy. But when terrorists blasted Mumbai then all we got to know is terrorism has no religion and no colour. But the moment the act is committed by a Hindu, it immediately takes the shape and colour of religion and sect.
I see a clear pattern and design in this malicious campaign. When lakhs of crores of public money was looted through series of scams, these people were unmoved.
Why they were silent when their fellow writer Taslima was physically attacked and forcefully sent out from Press club by fundamentalists. When Shri AR Rehman, who scored music for the film on Prophet Mohammed and the film director, Majid Majidi, were gagged, many of these people never opened their mouths.
Many of these writers never opened their mouths during the darkest days of Emergency. Major newspapers were gagged and at that time some of these intelligentsia hailed Emergency saying that everything was going on smoothly. When judges were superseded for committed judiciary, these people were silent. When Opposition leaders were put behind bars and Constitution was amended to favour one individual, these people were silent supporters.
When thousands of people were sterilised forcibly these people did not open their mouths. Many of these intelligentsia kept quiet when Sikh genocide took place in 1984. The Congress leadership justified the genocide saying that when a Big Banyan tree falls the earth shakes.
Emergency was the most brutal attack on the fundamental rights of the people and on the Constitution of India. Did any writer protest or return their honours during that timeIJ Does it not mean that all the writers supported that slaughter of rights of peopleIJ
Some writers were not able to digest the emergence of Narendra Modi. They condemned him openly calling him fascist within six months of his coming to power and were waiting for an opportunity. Now, when some unpardonable things happened in certain States and that too mostly in Congress-ruled States and States ruled by their friends, they took advantage and are now defaming the Prime Minister and the country. Some of them went and campaigned against Modi during the lok Sabha elections in Varanasi.
As said by social activist and columnist, Syed Ikhtiyar Jafri of Agra, if every crime in the country was to be addressed by the Prime Minister, then what was the use of State Governments that are supposed to be in charge of law and order in their respective states.
It is very clear that people of the country are feeling that some of these people are politically motivated and ideologically misguided but they have no stamina to fight it out politically.
They are only trying to support the politically motivated and malicious machinations. Some of these people did not condemn the killing of Dabolkar, not even Kalburgi killing; but suddenly orchestrated systematic campaign to defame the Central Government and thereby the country. The timing! Is it because of Bihar electionsIJ
let the people remind that the atrocities committed by the left wing Marxists against RSS, ABVP and other BJP activists in Kerala including the barging into a classroom and hacking to death in broad day light of a teacher K.T.Jayakrishnan in Mokery village, Kannur district.
None of these people even raised their voices when Naxals killed thousands of innocent people and even when openly declared that they were responsible. None of these people had sympathy for the victim’s freedom of life. They are silent because they know if they open up the Maoists will be violent.
Undeterred by the efforts of these pseudo-secularists, leftist intellectuals and the family supporters, who were well entrenched into various institutions, Government organisations, and got Government favours over the years of Congress rule - we will continue to move forward on the developmental agenda.
If any PM were to react to such incidents every time they happen, he also has to refer to the failure of concerned State Governments in maintaining law and order. Will that be politically right and acceptableIJ
Before expecting PM to voice his thoughts, it was more imperative for the State Governments to express their views on their inability to control violence in their States. If the State is not able to control violence then the Centre should step in and the moment the Centre steps in it is alleged as encroachment upon the federal system.
When and where was Dabholkar killedIJ In Maharashtra in 2013 when the Congress was in power both in the State and Centre.
Should not the Congress be held responsible for thisIJ Did any writer return their award thenIJ
Reasons for the ongoing malicious campaign against the BJP and the PM lie elsewhere. Since Independence, one particular line of thinking has been patronised and individuals and institutions were propped up in the name of one family. No other world view or perspective was allowed to be expressed or grow.
These people who trusted one view on the country all these years are not ready to tolerate the other view emerging now. When such individuals have to make way for others, it is not palatable for them. Here, I am not referring to Hindus and Muslims. I am only referring to sycophancy which suppressed other deserving individual’s thoughts and institutions.
People of India are intelligent and, I am sure, they will understand this malicious campaign and country will give them a fitting reply.
People want development and the PM does not want anything to happen that will divert attention of the Government from development. He amply made it clear umpteen number of times
[The author is Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs]