By Omkar Dattatray
In our democratic and multi-religious country, there is no place for the religious and caste politics as such politics negates the secular credentials of the nation. Thus, no religious politics should be resorted to in the multi-religious and multi party system democracy of the country. But it is very disturbing and unfortunate that the political parties without exception resort to the religious and communal politics only for their vested interests and the vote bank politics. They are not worried and concerned over the adverse impact of practicing the narrow religious politics on the sensitive and volatile society of India. We have adopted secularism as our state policy as the preamble of the country’s constitution includes the word secular as well and thus we should strive for maintaining the secularism and for this we should be ready to undergo inconveniences and even sacrifices to uphold the much valued secularism. Even without mentioning the secularism in the preamble of the constitution we secular and a tolerant nation form ancient times. The mentioning of the word secular in the preamble of the constitution belittles Indian culture and age old tolerance and makes it suspect and it would have been better if the word secular had not been in the constitution. Whatever it is the fact of the matter is that secularism is the guiding force of our country and all political parties and the people are duty bound to uphold the secular tenets of the constitution. Much responsibility to protect the much valued secularism lies upon the political parties. But our political parties are time and again resorting to religious politics to arouse the communal passions only for the sake of the vote bank politics and it is very unfortunate. The political parties of various colors and hues seem hell bent on raising religious passions when the elections come nearer .However religious politics should not be played for the sake of strengthening the secularism and communal harmony but the stark reality is this that the political parties play religious politics and religious card when the elections come nearer. It damages the secular fabric of the country and therefore the political parties and the political satraps should desist from playing the religious card before and during the elections. No single party can be singled out for playing the religious and communal politics for the sake of earning the votes. It has become a fact that our political parties and political masters are resorting to religious and communal politics to remain leeched to power. Mandir -Masjid politics and communal politics is resorted before and during the elections by the political parties and in doing so all the parties are equally involved and no political party can be kept in the category of not playing the religious politics. However the fact is that the religious and communal politics should not be resorted to by the political parties as this religious politics has no place in our multi religious and multi culture society. For the sake of few votes and for the opium of chair the political parties play religious card which should not be done for maintaining the secular fabric of the country. The two big political parties of BJP and congress are adept in playing the religious, communal and caste politics. Is it not playing of the religious politics when the prime minister of the country is touring to the religious places just before the elections? The political trips to the religious places by the prime minister are nothing but religious politics in full swing. The political trips to Kashi and inauguration of the Kashi corridor are nothing short of the religious politics by the BJP and its master strategist the prime minister. No one can object the holy dip in Ganga at Kashi but the way it has been televised live to the countrymen is religious politics otherwise what fun was there in telecasting the holy dip at Kashi. This religious sojourn has been resorted to by the mighty BJP and its top most leaders only for gaining the religious popularity and also for appealing to the religious sentiments of the people who are religious minded. Thus is the BJP and its leaders playing religious politics and indulging in appealing to the religious sentiments of the people just before the elections to the five state assemblies otherwise what fun was there in touring to the religious places by the BJP stalwarts. Twelve BJP state ruled chief ministers had assembled in Banaras on the eve of the Prime ministers inauguration of the Kashi Wishvanath carridor. Was it not a politico religious function to impress the voters just before the commencement of the election. The political trips of the UP chief minister Yogi Adaytinath to various religious places before the assembly elections and paying of the obeisance at Kashi and Ayoudha is pure religious politics for impressing the voters by appealing to their religious sentiments. The congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also resorting to the religious politics by paying the obeisance at religious places and proving his Hindu religion. His political trip some time back to Kedarnath was the playing of the religious card by the Gandhi Scion. Similarly laying of the Chaddres at the Darghas’ is playing of the religious card by the congress leader. The proving of the Hindu origin by the Rahul Gandhi is nothing but the religious politics through and through. The Rahul Gandhi had umpteen times in the past tried to prove that he is Jyounidari Hindu and is it not the playing of the religious politics and if not what it is. Rahul Gandhi has played soft Hindutva in the past to counter the BJP’s so called hard Hindutva and all this is the playing of the religious politics. It is also a fact the Rahul Gandhi is himself playing religious politics but is habitual of opposing the BJPs religious politics. Not only are the BJP and congress only playing the religious card before and during the elections but the Samajwadi’s and the BSP also are also playing the religious and caste card in the elections but these political parties are habitual of opposing the BJP of playing communal and religious politics. What does the holding of the Brahmin sammalans connote? Both the SP and BSP are holding the Brahmin Sammelans only for the caste and religious politics. But both the political parties are opposing the BJP for playing of the religious and communal politics when the fact is that the SP and BSP both are playing the religious and caste politics themselves and opposing the BJP of playing of religious politics. SP and BSP both are playing the religious politics when these parties are asking the Muslims to unite to defeat the mighty BJP in the elections. Is this not playing of the religious and communal politics. Thus it is crystal clear that all the political parties in our multi religious country are playing religious and politics for the sake of the vote bank and are opposing one another for playing of the religious and communal politics. The political parties should desist to play the religious and communal politics in the multi party democracy. In brief for the maintaining of the secularism the political parties should not resort to religious, communal sectarian politics but play fair and pure politics for the sake of secularism and pluralism. In this lies the good of the political parties, people and the country.
(The author is retired education officer and columnist)
