Gautam Chaudhary
It’s a remarkable thing. Recently, a minister from Tamil Nadu made a statement at a public conference about ending the eternal, i.e., Hindu religion and culture, entirely. The said minister compared eternal religion and culture to infectious diseases like malaria, dengue, and even COVID-19, but neither the central government nor the local government took any action on this statement. However, some Hindu organizations and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did react to it. Some Hindu organizations even initiated protests against the minister’s statement. Surprisingly, no court has taken cognizance of this matter so far. It’s worth pondering whether if such a comment were made against Muslims or Christians, would the country’s leadership remain silent in the same way? The question is serious, and there seems to be no answer.
Some time ago, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Nupur Sharma, made some negative comments about the founder of Islam. The reaction to her comments was so intense that a poor Hindu tailor in Udaipur, Rajasthan, was publicly lynched. Everyone watched, and after the complete elimination of the country’s political establishment following the snake bite incident, the country continued to beat the drum. Such incidents continue to happen. They will continue to occur in the future. Regardless of the case, a girl from Jharkhand was burned alive by a special youth of a particular religion because she refused to marry him. Several years ago, in Jharkhand itself, a girl of the same religion was brutally raped by some youth because she was not willing to kneel in front of anyone. This can be inferred from the headlines of those days. There are all sorts of incidents, but when it comes to such anti-minority incidents, the political establishment remains silent, and the honorable court remains passive! In such circumstances, it is natural for minorities to sometimes be forced to think whether the country we reside in is really ours.
When we delve deeper into the statements of this recent minister, we find that his grandfather was also involved in anti-Hindu activities. This is why he named his son after the name of the ruthless Soviet dictator, Stalin. Although if he knew everything about Stalin, he wouldn’t have done that, but that’s what he did. Furthermore, his favorite son continues to be associated with that name even today. While the whole world considers Stalin an enemy of humanity, in South India, Stalin is being revered anew. They can do this. It’s their freedom. The program in which the minister presented his aggressive speech against Hinduism and participated in anti-Hindu activities was specifically organized for the eradication of the eternal. The theme of that program was the Eternal Eradication Conference. The minister was not alone in that program. Influential leaders from various political parties were present there, including Madhu Keralam, a prominent leader of the Communist Party of India, Tamil writer and Marxist Communist Party leader Su Venkatesan, Indian National Congress leader and the current Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, S. Peter Alphonse, and Hindu Religious Endowments Minister PK. Sekhar Babu, among others.
Now, think about it; if there is a program to eradicate minorities in this country, with influential leaders from major political parties participating, and they devise an official plan to eradicate minorities, and if no party, organization, or individual protests democratically against it, then how can it be considered secular? Riots occurred in Nuh, Haryana, an incident took place in Puroli, Uttarakhand, and a similar incident occurred in Manipur. The court took notice of the Manipur incident itself. The court also intervened in the Uttarakhand incident, but in the case of Nuh, the honorable court has remained silent. Is this not a double standard towards the country’s minorities?
Even after this, some people are up in arms about labeling India as anti-minority due to the policies of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s policies. The country is not the only place where this is happening; it is being disrupted abroad as well. Sitting abroad, supporters of Pakistan are collaborating with the United States to run anti-India programs, and a proposal is being passed in the United States that India is causing trouble to minorities. It’s a matter of lament. If this continues, then we cannot maintain the unity and integrity of the country at any cost. Those who allege that India is drifting towards minority suppression due to the policies of the RSS, BJP, and the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party are misguided. In such a situation, individuals with significant financial resources play a role in establishing the alleged progressive influential people who are openly sympathetic to American policies.
Considering the kind of program that took place in Tamil Nadu, with anti-Hindu sentiments and participation from different groups, it will continue to work to the advantage of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP. These groups and organizations are making it easier for the BJP. This will create fear among minorities, and that fear will work for the BJP and the RSS. Remember, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini were not born in a day. Circumstances make such dictators leaders in their own right. A similar situation is emerging in present-day India. This is indicating that some influential progressive thinkers in India are continuously trying to implement American policies. The Tamil Nadu Eternal Eradication Conference might be a part of this strategy.
