Secular credential should be proven through actions
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After the first phase of polls on April 16, the Modi brigade had to change the tone and tenor of the campaign that they followed up until then. The shift became evident with Modi’s speech in the BJP-ruled Rajasthan. Modi showcased the ugly face of the hate campaign against Muslims by accusing the Congress of trying to re-distribute the country’s wealth to infiltrators and those who produce more children. This highly provocative and false statement did not elicit any response from the Election Commission despite receiving numerous complaints. Following which, the Hindi heartland witnessed the influx of anti-Muslim and anti-Congress guarantees of Modi. The rhetoric that Congress will redistribute assets of the Hindus and offer reservation to Muslims is raised even as the BJP ruled states including UP, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan offered no reservation to Muslims, even to the Pasmanda Muslims whom the saffron party found deserving.Following in the footsteps of the revered leader, Home Minister Amit Shah , the party president J.P. Nadda and Yogi Adityanath and other Chief Ministers are campaigning with not even an iota of truth in their pronouncements. There is no use arguing with details that birthrate among Muslims like other communities is plummeting, and asking to disclose from where Muslim infiltrators enter the country. How the wealth of the state can be distributed to a particular community is an all the more relevant question.This toxic showers stem from the belief that openly expressing hate against Muslims will make the majority community stand by the Hindutva regime and vote more enthusiastically than in 2019.
Even as the concern against rising persecution against minorities and collapse of democracy in India is regularly raised in UN and other international platforms, the stock response of the Modi administration is to portray them as interference in internal affairs and false allegations. Amnesty International, which brings to global attention human right abuses in the country, had to close their offices after being denied freedom to work in the country. For unraveling the role of then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi, in the 2002 riots in the state with backing of evidence, the BBC offices were raided and the outlet’s financial transactions were blocked. They also had to close the Delhi Bureau. The main Opposition alliance, the India bloc, does not have the courage to use these incidents in the election campaign. At the campaign rally in Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad constituency, the Congress dared not showing Congress flag. Because, the party knows only too well from the past experience that the workers of Muslim League, the second major ally of the UDF, waving their green flags could be a problem. Earlier when they did so, the Sangh Parivar misled the voters in Hindi heartland branding them as Pakistan flags.
The low turnout in the first and second phase of polls made the saffron brigade realise that only whipping up the frenzy of patriotism and nationalism cannot help holding on to the power. Media pundits are of the opinion that ‘ Muslim targeting’ stems from the party’s struggle in pulling off a bare majority, let alone bagging 400 seats as promised by Modi. INDIA bloc obviously is convinced and loudly announces that it is important to rescue the country’s Constitution, democracy, secularism, and diversity by defeating the fascist forces which is a threat to the world as well. But acting as the B-team of the BJP fearing majority vote bank like others do, they must know the truth that a B-team cannot defeat the A-team. Pursuing the meaningless majority-minority equations, turning a blind eye to Muslim plight pointed out by Sachar Committee and fielding defectors from Modi camp who fled after losing positions will not help the alliance win the polls. It is nothing but pure cowardice to have no Muslim fielded as candidates. One's commitment to secularism should be proved not by words but through actions and attitudes.
