Short-cut to secularism: Just call Modi names

Short-cut to secularism: Just call Modi names


If you need to understand the shallowness of Indian political secularism, the recent fuss over Narendra Modi is an eye-opener, assuming we need one more eye-opener to acknowledge this phenomenon.

Last week, Samajwadi party leader and Urdu journalist Shahid Siddiqui was declared persona non grata by his party for having the temerity to interview Modi. What would normally have been considered a coup for any journalist – for Modi rarely gives interviews – was seen as a sin in Siddiqui.

He should have known what was coming. Even before the party got into the act, Teesta Setalvad, who has converted Gujarat 2002 into her life’s work, told prime-time viewers on Times Now that Siddiqui would pay a political price for his act – and this even before she had seen that interview in Nai Duniya.

A Muslim interviewing Modi? God forbid. That’s communal.

‘If you need to understand the shallowness of Indian political secularism, the recent fuss over Narendra Modi is an eye-opener.’

Siddiqui has now been reduced to defending his actions and he has been trying hard to tell everybody that he asked Modi tough questions – and which he did not answer convincingly. His party, meanwhile, is busy denying he even joined them.

Next, we have had Team Anna suddenly excoriating Baba Ramdev for allegedly sharing a dais with Modi and praising him. Ramdev apparently said: “Everybody is asking me about corruption in Gujarat, but I couldn’t find anything of this sort.”

Now this is hardly the same say saying there is no corruption in Gujarat. If Ramdev did not find corruption in the state, it’s probably because he did not look hard enough. But his statement was hardly something to get apoplectic over. People routinely say nice things about their hosts.

But it was enough to get Sanjay Singh, a member of Team Anna, to adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. “We were never in agreement with Modi. We are not in agreement with Modi now. Narendra Modi is a murderer of humanity. Ramdev will have to clarify on this issue.”

Singh should hark back to last year, when Anna Hazare himself praised Modi and Nitish Kumar for their development work. Nobody objected to what he said about Nitish, but Modi? No chance. Soon Anna had to recant; he had to make a trip to Gujarat and formally announce that there was lots of corruption in the state.

Sanjay Singh’s statement must be seen as Team Anna’s increasing worry that Anna and Baba Ramdev may join forces. They want to keep Ramdev out.

On Sunday, a Congress MP – Vijay Darda – praised Modi as a “tiger”, given his tigerish commitment to his work. Another newspaper said Darda called him a ‘lion” rather than a tiger. Despite this confusion over the species Darda was referring to, one gets the drift. He was certainly lionising Modi – not for 2002, but his subsequent achievements.

The Congress party has got into a flap over this, and the party’s trouble-makers are busy trying to get authentic copies of what Darda said so that he can be adequately chastised.

A few general conclusions can be drawn from these events.

First, Narendra Modi is clearly India’s Untouchable No 1. Earlier, it was only his party, the BJP, or the Sangh Parivar, that was untouchable. But after six years in power under Vajpayee, that untouchability is more or less gone. But Modi is the new mascot of pariahhood. In politics you need an “other” – and that other is Modi.

Second, secularism has been reduced to a simple test that anybody can pass. Are you for Modi or against him. You can be the most bigoted or corrupt of Indians – you can beat you wife, kill you daughter for marrying outside the gotra or caste, loot crores from the public treasury, abuse Dalits and bash them up – but if you are against Modi, you are a Jolly Good Fellow. You pass the test of political acceptability. CPI(M) leaders can extol Stalin’s murders and even approve of party leaders in Kerala taking about murdering their political opponents, but all that is kosher.

Third, secularism is no longer about what you are, but what you profess in your public statements to the media.

A genuinely secular party does not need to disown a party member who merely interviews Modi. Only a party that is not secular has to go to such public shows of secularism to claim the tag.

This is a farce. The sooner we get rid of this hypocrisy, the easier it will be to really tackle communalism in all its forms.

This rings a bell here in DFI...

Such is the lack of ideas of our political class that a certain section of leaders ( if I may call them that) have become Thekedar of Secularism. they do not have an iota of what the word means. For them the word secularism means only one thing a dedicated Vote Bank, nothing more and nothing less.

The sooner this farce ends the better it is for the country and it's citizens.

Excellent article ! if you want to be labelled Secular or minority well wisher then start falsely abusing Modi, but if you talk anything truly good about Modi you are doomed to be declared anti-minority, communal and a supporter of a "mass murderer". On the other hand if you declare a pension scheme for parents of terrorists then you are a minority supporter and a true secular.

Team Anna is also hitting axe on their own feet, at least 50% people of their support group are anti-congress or BJP or RSS supporters.

When did this natak happen ?

OK.

I will call Modi a name - Modi!

It makes me secular!

I don't think one has to be pro or anti any political party to fight corruption and demand the Lokpal Bill.

Instead of giving parents of terrorists a pension, why can't the govt give One Pay, One Pension to those who are in the forefront in fighting terrorists?

sir, this is not happening because the UPA Government perceives the armed forces to be natural supporters of BJP. Elections in HP and Uttrakhand have lent credibility to such notions.

So a section which will never vote for them in numbers, why should the Government take decisions which affect this group. This is a very narrow view point followed by our beloved leaders.

Govt. had plans to give pension to the parents of terrorists in J&K, don't know what happened to it.

Yeah, I meant Team Anna needs more and more support or govt. is not going to listen, they ignored them last time even when thousands of Indians supported Team Anna. And by accusing Modi they are loosing a considerable number of supporters.

Exactly sir, why will parents send their sons to Army where they have to face tough competition, rather they will choose terrorism for lots of money and no competition + samaj seva by Jihad.

UPA can think what it wishes but the Army is not a supporter of any party.

All political parties have given the Armed Forces a short shrift.

They are all gas and no go!

What has the BJP done since it appears you are batting for them.

^^^^ It kind of sums up the real face of secularism! The author could have added few points which were bitter, however I think he himself is bitten by the secular bug that he omitted few other facts about secular people of this country!

Modi is Lion of India, Fcuk secularism and corruption ---- I'm Communal and proud of it!

I am not batting for BJP, but merely laying down the facts. In Uttrakhand the postal ballots of servicemen have always gone in a big way to the BJP.

More number of senior level Army officers have joined BJP in the last decade or so.

Why is the Congress not ready to implement the one pay one pension scheme. For a party which has been spending money left and right on every hair brained scheme, money constraints cannot be the answer. Neither have they come out with a creditable reason for dragging their foot on this issue.

The facts are there for all of us to see.

Maybe Modi is a Lion or even a Tiger or even an Elephant trampling the countryside.

I am proud to be a Pragmatic and an Indian.

I find no hope in pandering to communalism of any hue!

I await your post to tell me what BJP/NDA has done for the Army that they are pro BJP since you say the Army is pro BJP!

And the BJP is for it?

They were in Govt.

How come it slipped their mind, even though they had an ex Army chap Jaswant as the Defence Minister?

Quoting you, I say the fact is there for all to see.

Source: Relief for ex-servicemen

@ Ray Sir

I despise congress, corruption and secularism ----- what does that make me by - common knowledge, lingo of leftists/NGOs/self-proclaimed intellectuals and by the definition of Paid Media?

Communal! I accept it with pride!

I think you wanted to pose this question to SOB.