Our society may get further embroiled in deep turmoil

The country is in turmoil. Signs of social unrest are hard to ignore although the political leaders have failed to sense the full import of it. Their responses in public have been highly irresponsible and they are mostly found to be talking at each other in Parliament and outside. The television programme anchors mischievously fan the process. Only the other day a political leader was seen saying to the effect that there was the ‘Kanhaiya’ who had guided his father out of the prison of ‘Kans Mama’ and here was another ‘Kanhaiya’ walking out of the prison of ‘Kans’! There is this lawyer who was seen proudly announcing that he and his associates had assaulted Kanhaiya in the court premises and any other person who undertook anti-national activities would be given similar treatment. The presumption and arrogance were unmistakable.

When governance, in a highly plural society such as ours, is replaced or based on hard communal lines and is commanded by hardliners, peace and harmony become strange words. Some who are in the Government are hopeful that the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is a possibility. It is now or never. In the streets, therefore, intolerance is manifest in all colours and hues.

The Home Minister of the country acted thoughtlessly and unbecoming of his position when he stated that the protest programme in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in Delhi was supported by India's most-wanted terrorist! The Home Minister of a country cannot be expected to give such a knee jerk response based on a social media source such as a ‘tweet’ which has no external gate-keeping of any kind. This is true of most forms of communication in social media. We need to be cautious that the ‘Arab Spring’ dried like a flash flood. More instances have been noted for negative social disturbance due to social media including the social media prompted assault programme of Kanhaiya and the media persons in Patiala Court premises. The grave irresponsibility shown by the country’s home minister has not only put him in an embarrassing position, but has compromised the quality of governance at the highest level. The Delhi police impatient as ever and eager to show loyalty to the Master acted swiftly and arrested Kanhaiya on charges of sedition without adequate grounds.

When governance, in a highly plural society such as ours, is replaced or based on hard communal lines and is commanded by hardliners, peace and harmony become strange words. Some who are in the Government are hopeful that the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is a possibility. It is now or never. In the streets, therefore, intolerance is manifest in all colours and hues. A Member of Parliament announces that ‘Ram Mandir will be built, Hindu women must produce at least four children to protect the religion, we are ready to kill and getting killed to protect our mother – cow’. Sensitivity around cow meat, liberal Muslims trying to express human values and questioning patently blind beliefs, and finally intolerance towards any expression that questions, comments or protests communal fundamentalism are faced with violent counter protests and physical attacks, assault and killings. The Pune and Karnataka fatal attacks of rationalists and reputed scholars and litterateurs take intolerance to new heights.

Religious or social processions, rumours of cow slaughters, of temple idols being desecrated is enough of a spark for the explosion. The war of words, blame and counter blame begins among politicians and religious fundamentalists. The statements are mostly irresponsible, emotive and vicious, not examined for veracity, and further fan and fuel socio-religious tensions.

The failure of governance is total whether at the central or at the state level irrespective of the ruling party. Uttar Pradesh has been the tinderbox. Most populated with about 20 per cent population of India, it continues to be highly disturbed communally. The Ministry of Home Affairs data for UP on communal violence was respectively 668, 823, and 644 (2012-14) – high in 2013 compared to its population share. In the first five months of 2015 the country witnessed an increase of communally violent incidents by 24 per cent and deaths by 65 per cent (TOI 22/9/16). Religious or social processions, rumours of cow slaughters, of temple idols being desecrated is enough of a spark for the explosion. The war of words, blame and counter blame begins among politicians and religious fundamentalists. The statements are mostly irresponsible, emotive and vicious, not examined for veracity, and further fan and fuel socio-religious tensions.

For about a decade now religious and sectarian groups are seen hardening their stance, becoming aggressively violent leading to injury and death, and blatantly defying the law. The legislature, the executive and the judiciary too have not shown consistent, sufficient and accountable responses. In the case of Kanhaiya Kumar, for instance, the Delhi Police arrested him on the charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy under section 124 of the IPC. Interestingly, Lokmanya Tilak and Gandhiji were also charged under the same offence. In the case of Gandhiji, the arrest preceded full homework. Three printed articles by Gandhiji in “Young India” were presented as the proof with full analysis. Gandhiji was undefended, yet the Judge asked him to say his word, which Gandhiji did. It is recorded in history as a classic piece in reflecting jurisconscience and being superior to jurisprudence. In the case of Kanhaiya Kumar the police was least prepared and the judge instead of conducting the trial postponed it and granted bail. Failure of responsibility on the part of the government, police, and judiciary has been total. This is a worrying matter that parts of the governance arms of the country are opinionated.

Finally, a word about irresponsibility of the votaries of liberty in expression and libertarians seems to be in order. The entire discourse is rights based almost ignoring duties. Quest for truth is welcome and when it is expressed in earnest, it has to be non-violent. The force to be applied has to be of love and soul. Even the expression has to non-violent not hating the person or people against whom it is intended. The truth seekers own behaviour has to be above board in all respects and aspects of life. Unfortunately, the sadhana is lacking in those who claim to be after siddhis and proceed to preach. Indian society may get further embroiled in deep turmoil.     

Dr. Sudarshan Iyengar is a noted Gandhian economist and former Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Vidyapith, a university founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920