Looking beyond politics of 'hug and wink' to build India of future !

Hari Jaisingh

Swami Agnivesh allegedly thrashed by the BJP's Yuva Morcha workers in Jharkhand

Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh was badly thrashed at Pakur (Jharkhand) allegedly by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), affiliated to the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The charge against him was that he justified beef-eating and was a Naxal supporter. This is highly regrettable. Swami Agnivesh is a known reformist with a liberal outlook. He has very much been part of the larger Hindu mainstream.

Amidst the politics of 'hug and wink" with an eye on 2019, what sort of India we wish to see amidst the country's changing politico-social, religious and cultural spectrum? A simple answer to this crucial query, in my perspective, will be: a forward-looking "rediscovered" India having values-based civilisational roots, blended in modern scientific outlook and driven by the technology of tomorrow.
We surely do not wish to have an India where "lynchers", in the name of cow vigilantism or caste or communal issues, indulge in violence with the custodians of law and order and political masters looking the other way. Nothing can be more shameful when a handful of "lynchers" take the law in their hands and are even "garlanded"! The victims of such acts are mainly Dalits and Muslims, and now an activist Arya Samaj leader of repute who is reformist with a liberal outlook. Was he attacked because of his voice of dissent, even though he is part of the Hindu mainstream.
Lynch mobs generally act with impunity in most cases, knowing well that their victims live on margins. The situation turned bizarre the other day when highly respected Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh was badly thrashed at Pakur (Jharkhand) allegedly by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), affiliated to the BJP, and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).

Arjun Ram Meghwal The charge against him was that he justified beef-eating and was a Naxal supporter. This is regrettable since Swami Agnivesh is a known reformist with a liberal outlook. He has been very much part of a larger Hindu mainstream. Why this show of intolerance against such a person? I have known him from my students' days in Kolkata. He has been a crusader against the bonded labourers in Haryana.
A reformist par excellence, he has been following the principles of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Central Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal says, "The more Modi becomes popular, more such incidents will occur" I welcome Modi's rising popularity. But what sort of India the Minister wishes to build? What sort of civilisational values and "good governance" the ruling class would like to nurture?

Looking beyond the non-confidence rhetoric in the Lok Sabha on July 20, I honestly believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagawat need to look within and try to understand where and how the ruling Sangh Parivar has gone wrong during over four years of their governance.

Rakbar's children and relatives surround his unconscious wife at their house in Haryana But the manner in which the BJYM, Bajrang Dal persons and local BJP leaders have justified the physical assault on him reminds me of a series of lynchings seen recently in the name of beef eating and illegal cow tradings. The latest chilling run of lynch mob was witnessed at Rajasthan's Alwar where 31-yearold Rakbar Khan from Haryana's Mewat district was killed. It is reported that as many as 46 persons have been lynched since April 2017. What a shame!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagawat and BJP President Amit Shah Equally shocking is the remark by Central Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal who says, "The more Modi becomes popular, more such incidents will occur" I welcome Modi's rising popularity. But what sort of India the Minister wishes to build? And what sort of civilisational values and "good governance" the ruling class would like to nurture?
Ironically, the Pakur mobocracy was seen on the same day when the Supreme Court said that "mob lynching is unacceptable". Its historic verdict held the local administration, the state and central governments responsible for preventing such incidents. But then, who cares? Such negative acts and attitudes give wrong signals about India's new breed political culture.

As it is, India is torn between the burden of the past and multiple problems of the present. Naked fakirs. Loin-cloth clad sadhus. The maharajas of yesterdays and the latter-day "noveau-maharajas." It is a complex scenario of abject poverty and begging children on the streets and filthy riches amidst the glittering setting. The force of traditional morality has been dissipated somewhere down the line. So has the message of dharma. Dharma today seems to survive only symbolically- on bookshelves, in poor persons' huts or in the sinking hearts of the middle class, the bhadralok. Caught between the heartsearching within and the kickbacks and pay-offs abroad, much of India's traditional value system has got eroded in the corridors of power.
Looking beyond the nonconfidence rhetoric in the Lok Sabha on July 20, I honestly believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagawat need to look within and understand where and how the ruling Sangh Parivar has gone wrong during over four years of their governance. The moot questions raised by a section of society are: how come an atmosphere of fear prevails in the country? Why should we be witnessing the horrifying spectacle of mob lynchings in the name of cow vigilantism and related acts of intolerance in different parts of the country? How come the vision of India based on dharma, the ethical mode of life that once dominated Indian thoughts and action is missing today? Why should we be seeing undesirable trends under the cover of Hindutva? Most of the traditional values today are either in a poor shape or at a discount ?
According to Indian scholar Yogendra Singh of "Mordernization of Indian Traditions," Gandhi had an uncanny skill to project to Indian masses many humanistic values of the modern west through traditional cultural symbolism. "For Gandhi, secularism did not mean a religiosity but the spirit of religious tolerance which he (Gandhi) postulated on the basis of universalistic ethic of Hinduism itself."
Gandhi's concept of Indian polity was entirely non-communal and yet not secular in the strictly Western sense of the term.
Indeed, the philosophy and the world outlook of Hinduism is amazingly tolerant despite numerous separate caste and religious groups. Eminent historian Arnold Toynbee has acknowledged India's greatness and underlined the importance of Asoka's and Mahatma Gandhi's principle of non-violence and Sri Ramakrishna's testimony to the harmony of religions. How come the two eminent BJP leaders from the land of Gandhi should have got lost in the politics of intolerance, violence and misplaced concepts of Hindutva to divide Indian society?
The main problem before the leadership today is how to widen and consolidate basic nationalist commitments not only among the Hindus but also among the minorities, especially the Muslims.
It is foolhardy to distort or hide the truth. Indian rulers have not only to be true to their words, honest to themselves and the people and go far above the narrow canvas of caste, creed, religion and community. Herein lies India's greatness. This is how Swami Vivekananda initiated a social revolution on religious harmony while working for the downtrodden masses of India. Well, some food for thought to the powers-that-be! Are we heading for a medieval India? I would not worry about pure and simple revivalism of Hinduism. It is the electoral politics behind it and within it that worries me. As long as religion is confined to the domain of an individual's choice and practice, the social milieu can be both smooth and tension-free. The problem arises when religious rituals and practices are politicized and misused for electoral ends.
Herein lies the great Indian dilemma which is applicable to all religious groups. However, being at the helm of national affairs, we expect the Sangh Parivar leadership to conduct itself in a responsible and liberal way.
Of course, we should not allow the country's political spectrum to become a "Mutual Blame Society". This is not my idea of India. What is needed most is an honest post-mortem of recent events, and not hurling abuses at one another. Such an exercise does not solve problems; it only complicates them.
Temples, Gurudwaras and churches, for that matter, are meant for the propagation of God's message of love, peace and brotherhood, not of political hatred and communal disharmony. The state authorities have to be firm where firmness is needed most. They cannot opt for soft options in an area where the very edifice of the nation, as spelt out in the constitution, rests. Does anyone care in a situation where political custodians at the helm themselves violate the basisc rules of good governance and the values which go with it.
Coming back to Rahul Gandhi's 'hug and wink' show in the Lok Sabha, the Congress leader's words -- "you can abuse me, you can call me Pappu, but I don't have a speck of hatred against you, I will take this hatred out of you and turn into love" -- sound soothing to the ears. But I cannot be sure of politics behind his words. At least, the 'wink' after the 'hug' is both mischievous and counterproductive. It exposes him as an immature politician who does not know how he could be true to his words and hence Modi's remark of "unwanted hug".
It is a different matter Prime Minister Modi is globally known for his "hug diplomacy". I wish to leave this matter here. It has already acquired acrimonious pro-Modi and anti-Rahul political overtones. Herein lies the tragedy of the Indian political system which give the impression of missing India vision! And also, the ability of leaders to see things in a wider perspective for a super power India!