by B. R. GOWANI
“Bhoomi Pujan” or groundbreaking ceremony of the Ram temple, where, till December 6, 1992, stood a hundreds old Muslim place of worship. PHOTO/NDTV/Duck Duck Go
on August 5, 2020, Modi turned India into “Hindutvasthan“
that is, the land of the “Hindu Supremacy” or Hindu-supremastan
Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ram Mandir
at a place previously occupied by the Muslim mosque: Babri Masjid
the Masjid was demolished by the Hindu militants on December 6, 1992
Hindu extremists claimed it was a birthplace of the mythical Lord Ram
religious extremists of any religion is a dangerous lot
and if it belongs to the majority, then almost nothing can save you
Modi said:
“After all how can I rest without accomplishing the work assigned by Lord Rama.”
Modi came to power to do Lord Rama’s work
because in humanitarian fields, he hasn’t done anything for the people
except creating trouble through sudden demonetization and lockdown
Modi’s lie
The whole country is ecstatic and each heart is illuminated.
over 170 million Muslims are tense; their hearts filled with darkness
not to forget the fear Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and others are feeling
all these minorities have been left on their own by the Congress Party
Nehru had warned of the “communalism of the majority“
today Nehru’s own great-granddaughter Priyanka Gandhi said:
“Simplicity, courage, restraint, sacrifice, commitment, are the essence of the name Deenbandhu Rama. Ram is with everyone, Ram is with everyone.”
“With the message and grace of Lord Rama and Mother Sita, the Bhoomipujan ceremony of the temple of Ramlala became an occasion for national unity, fraternity and cultural congregation.”
Nehru was openly atheist prime minister
one wonders how he would have reacted to Priyanka’s political crap
Modi had NRI’s (Non-Resident Indians) in his mind
Entire world would come here for the darshan of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita.
in 2004, BJP leader L. K. Advani declared a divine hand behind his party:
“The BJP is really the Chosen Instrument of the Divine to take our country out of its present problems and to lofty heights of all-round achievements.”
India’s lofty heights is nothing but a travesty of the Indian secularism
it fell to Rajmohan Gandhi to see the existential danger of Modi’s folly
to convey the true urgency of Gandhi’s warning, I’ll quote at length
The question goes beyond the constitutional principles of secularism and pluralism. Mr. Modi seems to dismiss the realities that scream off India’s map. Muslim-majority Kashmir, bordering both China and Pakistan, occupies the north of India. Sikh-majority Punjab sits on India’s western boundary. Christians constitute either a majority or a strong minority in the eastern border states of Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya, in equally crucial Kerala on India’s southern extremity, and in Goa, small in size but known well to the whole world. And Tamil Nadu’s sharp opposition to religious majoritarianism has a long and powerful history.
Taking India as a whole, a policy of humiliating 200 million Muslims, disregarding Sikhs, frightening Christians and unsettling large numbers of Hindus who prize equality is hardly the way to unite a people for any long-drawn contest with China. For all its strategic value, a distant Quad cannot be a substitute for Indian cohesion. If it comes to a battle, no Quad country will fight China on India’s behalf. We should also recognize that a majority of the people of Japan, the U.S. and Australia, and of other nations that prize democracy and pluralism, will be as cautious about a so-called Hindu republic as they are about so-called Islamic republics.
As for what a “Hindu state” of India will do to attract the people of Bangladesh and Afghanistan, countries with a bearing on India’s stand-off with China, asking the question is enough.
(Rajmohan Gandhi is the grandson of Indian leader M. K. Gandhi)
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com