Indian democracy has started to have turbulence, as a notion of Hindu Rashtra. It has thrown the minorities out of the picture. As the country celebrates its 75th Independence day, the minorities (Muslims, Christians, etc.) are left sleepless as they find themselves in a state of blockade and neglect.
People who hold a position of power at present have forgotten that India’s flag has both Orange and Green colours. Ricocheting the existence of one would destroy the entire map.
As per critics, Hindu Majoritarianism has become a de facto state policy. Backed up by a National political party (I.e, BJP), Hindu supremacists have ignorantly boosted their demand to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra.
Time and again, it has been implied that several restrictions have been levied on the individuality of minorities. For the first time, it is accounted that the ruling party doesn’t have a single Muslim parliamentarian.
Hindu Rashtra VS Minorities? Where does our country stand?
“If Hindu Rashtra means assigning second class status to Muslims, then India has practically already become one. Now it’s a question about making it official. Even if they don’t do it, the change has taken place”, Dhirendra K Jha, who’s an author and journalist, asserted.
It’s preposterous that the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ draft has put a blemish mark on the face of unity. Baring a section from casting votes wouldn’t be accepted by the citizenry with open arms.
The arms would resist and would ignite a war. The future still can defy the quarrels only if the government comes out with a reasonable statement. Till then every prediction would ruffle up the feathers of those affected. And enunciating anything at this moment would be like singing sonnets to an ostrich whose head is dug deep in the sand.
Taking the lead back to 2018, the federal government banned Triple Talaq. In 2019, the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed. Following this, a series of unprecedented attacks and protests were seen in the National capital. Hundreds of people were killed and many got injured.
“For though Hindustan [Persian name for India] to them [Muslims] is Fatherland as to any other Hindu, yet it is not to them a Holy Land too. Their Holy Land is far off in Arabia or Palestine,” Vinayak Damodar, wrote in his book, the Essentials of Hindutva.
Activists like Khalik Khan have put forward a stance that the image of the Hindu Rashtra would entirely rely on injustice.
Parallel stances; What leaders have to say?
RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP has put its faith in the idea of “One nation, one people, one culture”. RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat wrote that understanding the commonality is crucial, being the sons of the same soil, same motherland. Respecting the differences, avoiding selfish attitudes, and Nation first approach in every context is what our society needs.
The Dream of One democratic nation which is rich with diversity has started to shatter into pieces. The various question marks that are put on the honesty and existence of minorities have been revived into a terrifying and regular boycott.
“We believe that whoever doesn’t take part in the Har Ghar Tiranga programme is essentially against the nation and is a puppet of those who want to break India. They should be held accountable,” Sharad Sharma, spokesman for the far-right Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), told Al Jazeera.
Muslim Poet and educator Sabika Abbas Naqvi has articulated that the Muslim community has every reason to be scared. “The idea of Hindu Rashtra is laced with fear. It feels like an attack on a dream that we had built collectively.” (verbatim as she told this to Al Jazeera in an interview)
She believes that as a Muslim woman, she’s living a life of danger. Her identity is in danger. According to Naqvi, the new future which is coming into the picture, the New India, is formulating on the lynched bodies and debris of lives and dreams.
The ideologies of Indian citizens have parted ways. This will eventually become the cause of the setback in the pursuit of India as a whole.
