The secular character of India

Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan

On March 6, 2009, the great-grandson of first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and scion of a family dynasty, Varun Gandhi, while making rabble-rousing comments against Muslims during his election campaign in the town of Pilibhit, Uttar-Pradesh, said, "If anyone raises a finger towards Hindus or if someone thinks that Hindus are weak and leaderless, if someone thinks that these leaders lick our boots for votes, then I swear on the (Bhagavad) Gita that I will cut that hand." He further said; "I am a Gandhi, a Hindu and an Indian in equal measure". Tracing the historical context, Mr. Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister and great grand-father of Varun Gandhi, upon independence of India had promised the Indians that, "there would be no tear on anybody's cheeks in independent India". But after six decades, tears of helplessness, discrimination on the basis of caste system, demeaning the Muslims and other religious minorities and fear of hunger do not stop trickling down the eyes of a large majority of Indians. Jawaharlal Nehru's socialism and Gandhi's self sufficiency have clashed to give India a hotchpotch uneven urban progress with scorched rural landscape. These are signs of a perplexed and confused state rather a proclaimed and exceedingly propagated secular state. Varun Gandhi indeed is the hard core member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the anti-camp of the Congress party, a dynasty of his forefathers. After his anti-Muslim statement, the young Gandhi proved to be even bolder and supplemented his statement once he told CNN-IBN channel that, "The party has an ideology of protecting Hindus. I have tried to protect the weaker sections of Hindus from being targeted..." An FIR was lodged against the young extremist Hindu nationalist, but as yet he has not been arrested and even an advice by Indian Election Commissioner to BJP for re-considering the candidature of Varun Gandhi for the current election, has also been rejected. There has neither been a condemnation from the leadership of BJP nor by the mother of Varun Gandhi, the five times winner of election from this constituency.

Moreover the level of denunciation by the leadership of the Congress Party has been restricted to scoring its political goals, to win the sympathies of Indian Muslims in the forthcoming general elections. The track record of the BJP has been as a party fueling tension between the majority Hindu population against the Muslim minority, primarily to pander to its large Hindu vote base. Some analysts view the competition between Varun Gandhi and Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, as the future leadership of the BJP as well as India as a whole. Alternatively, Varun is also being viewed as, "another Modi is rising or L. k Advani in the making--." Even in some articles in the 'Economic Times newspaper', it is commented by Indian intellectuals that, "Varun is among the few bold younger politicians taking the bull by the horns. The majority (Hindus) must have at least an equal say in their own country". In its entire history, India has neither demonstrated to be a secular state, nor could she uphold its claims of a social welfare state. Its dominant castes have always committed unprecedented breach of international obligations of fundamental human rights of minorities, lower classes and Dalits. Successive Indian governments failed to solve this problem which resulted in continued and enhanced brutalities against scheduled castes. In this civilized world, India is the only country which still carries the historical baggage of caste system (four famous casts of India: Brahmins; the intellectual class, Khashtriya; the warrior class, Vaishys; the agricultural and trade class and Shudras; the service or manual worker class). Indian police and security forces have been found quite often in extrajudicial killings, including staged encounter killings and custodial deaths. Government officials often use special anti-terrorism legislation to justify the excessive use of force while combating innocent Kashmiris, struggling for their UN mandated right of self determination. It does not hesitate to unleash state terrorism against its own nationals, demanding their basic rights, especially in north and eastern states of India. Surprisingly the security forces officials who commit human rights abuses generally enjoy de-facto legal impunity. Indian brutalities do not end here. There are thousands of evidences where its officials have resorted to violations like: torture and rape of those who are arrested or taken into custody. Apart from this, harassment and arrest of human rights activists; extensive societal violence and legal and social discrimination against women; forced prostitution; child abuse and female infanticide; widespread inter-caste and communal violence; religion-based violence against Muslims and Christians are regular features, clearly reflecting the Indian insensitivity and exposing her tall claims of a secular state.

The so-called secular India has given a new trend to terrorism. The state sponsored-terrorism in Occupied Kashmir, North and Northeastern states, state of Gujarat and many other regions are some of the examples. Above all, thousands of Sikhs were brutally massacred by Indian Army in 1980s against their legitimate demands of free religious practices. Thousands of Muslims were killed all along India once they raised their voice against the destruction of Babri Mosque in early 1990s. Similarly in the Indian Occupied Kashmir more than 90,000 innocent people have been killed by her security forces, since the start of the renewed Kashmiri struggle for their right of self determination. Approximately 2800 Muslims of Gujarat were massacred by state machinery in early 2000s under BJP government, still ruling the state. A number of Christians were tortured and killed during last two decades. Even in some cases Christian missionaries were burnt alive without any remorse. Indeed members of fanatic Indian organizations like Bajrang Dal, VHP, BJP, and RSS are highly active against minorities, clearly refuting Indian claim that Muslim organizations are involved in terrorism. It is worth mentioning here that Bal Thackeray, the head of Shiv Sena, has recently proposed to form Hindu suicide squads to counter the so-called Islamic terrorism. Being king of hate politics, he has full backing of BJP, besides other Indian fanatic organizations. Minorities and lower castes are not the only targets. The migrants and refugees are worst sufferers of this inhuman treatment. In the recent past, Vishwa Hindu Parishad has launched a drive to flush out five hundred thousand Bangladeshi migrants living in Mumbai since decades having Indian nationality. In March 2007, it was pointed out by Asian Director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, in a UNO organized conference against discrimination that, "The UN Committee's concluding observations confirm that India has failed to properly protect Dalits and tribal communities." Indian police and officials often target Dalits communities, and tacitly allow other interest groups to commit violence against them with impunity. Residential segregation of Dalits prevalent across the country is the rule rather than an exception. Moreover, they are denied some basic rights like freedom of speech, movement, marriage of choice and employment. Dalits are forced to work in polluting and degrading occupation. Dalits women are positioned at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. According to Dalits Human Rights statistics: "27 atrocities are committed against Dalits every day; 13 Dalits are murdered or their belongings are burnt every week; 6 Dalits kidnapped or abducted every week; 3 Dalits women raped every day and 11 Dalits are beaten every day". In summary a crime is committed against a Dalits after every 18 minutes. India, the world's largest democracy and secular state, in fact is home to the world's largest number of poor people inhabiting a single country. Out of its over one billion population, an estimated four hundred million are living below the poverty line, 75 per cent of them in the rural areas. More than 40 per cent of the population is illiterate, with women, tribal and scheduled castes particularly affected. Because of poverty, there is a sharp increase in the ratio of deaths through suicides. According to an official report of India, nearly 70% people live in inhuman conditions. A national survey held recently indicated that majority of people living along countryside has their daily earnings less than thirty rupees. In reality, India, the so-called world's second largest growing economy is a land of extreme incongruity. On one hand, it has second highest number of billionaires, whereas on the other it is home to the teeming millions who scarcely keep the wolf from the door. Minorities and lower Indian castes are totally vulnerable, open to exploitation by higher Indian castes without any remorse and state protection. Infringement of Human Rights is a regular feature on account of these lower classes and minorities. Indian booming economy and so-called increasing prosperity could not conceal its oppressive discriminations which have gone unabated. Having examined India's internal dynamics, one wonders how the world is so easily tricked into believing its secular, democratic, shining India image. Thanks to Bollywood, Indian large Diaspora in other countries and the vested interest of the West especially the United States, on account of economic and strategic reasons that Indian acts of communal violations, religious discriminations and open challenges to minorities and human rights abuses are being overlooked rather veiled in the bright sun shine.