India,as a nation,if it really existed at the times of Ashoka the Great upto Akbar the Great was always cosmopolitan.The country,as Fahien wrote,was so proud about all its aspects of life,from science to economy,that it cared little about the thronging religious practices rampant in any other country.The culture of Hinduism was so much bifurcated with regional difference that any new religion hardly proved to be significant.Buddhism came and conquered without a single noted muscular opposition.So did Jainism,with its too rigid practices,Judaism originating from Israel and Christianity.After the advent of Islam,both Islam as well as Zoroastrianism came and thrived together in India.All religions were not disregarded but were patronized together with Kings offering due support to the communities with rich social,intellectual or cultural values mostly out of their sense of judgement and fair practice to all and sometimes due to their personal interest.Taking cue from all powerful Mauryan Empire of 2nd Century BC,Chandragupta Maurya,the founder followed Jainism,his son Bindusara,Hinduism and finally his grandson Ashoka the Great followed Buddhism.Advent of Muslim rulers from Afghan,caused much chaos with the looting and breaking down of many temples but the country soon absorbed the initial shocks to maintain their festive and brotherhood rhythm.Sikhism came and rose to prominence following religious debacle by Aurangzeb.English-men being too clever spread Christianity during their rule in 19th century only through the neglected classes of society without mingling with the practices of general masses.
Things changed forever when the country was divided along religious line during Independence.Divide and Rule was the principle British policy and many historian suggest that Britain actually believed that the two nation will sure plunder to come under their rule.Not a very insignificant conclusion,seeing the failed state of Pakistan although the new world order prevented it from becoming a colony.Evidences from that period suggest that,Mahatma,who had promised that the country would not be divided even on his dead body,was deserted by his own colleagues in the Congress party.So,when some people blame Nathuram Godse for killing the Mahatma,they should never forget that an issue dearer to him more than his life was back-stabbed by none other than the party whom he brought to the fore-front of Indian independence struggle and whose crop they cut even six decades after independence.What indeed was Nehru's take on not passing the crown to Jinnah was a majority thronged by Hindus will never accept a Muslim PM.During independence and partition that followed,Hindus and Sikhs were brutualy mascarred in Pakistan but the anger persistent in India was consciously diffused by sane sections.After independence,India became a secular country with a Muslim population even larger than the green new country of Pakistan.Muslims hardly needed to feel any twang of suspension about the secular nature of our constitution.Lots of learnt Muslims,including the first Education Minister,Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,stood testimony to the fact.
But,government was over-conscious and over-enthusiasm over the welfare of Muslims.As a result,the bill for the upliftment and modernisation of society,was termed as Hindu Code Bill.The bill,brain child of Nehru and Ambedkar,chose to keep Muslims out of its preview.Why?It will be done in future.The future never come.Delibrately or foolishly,it wound a blanket around the Muslims.That they must feel themselves differentiating from the majority slowly turned into a poison.Four decades later,Sikhs in Punjab were politicized into playing a blood-bath,and were soon cut to size with Operation Bluestar.Kashmiri Pundits were flushed out of their homes under the nose of central government which chose to go carefully this time(meaning wait and watch,do nothing).Their homes and the valley has since not been restored although the victims have been identified as the present dwellers of valley.They are again shielded from mingling with the majorities of the main-land as if the majorities will go on a killing spree if they are allowed to descend in the valley.Demand for the removal of ASFPA,which is termed draconian,is catching in recent years.Will the demanding Kashmiri politicians explain,what did they do as a responsible forebeares of Indian constitution,did to protect the fundamental right of life for the Kashmiri Pundits.The then CM,Abdullah has since been part of different central governments.The infamous Shah Bano case of 1986,although being about the plight of a single women,had a huge symbolic meaning.Muslim appeasement term was not just coined but its extent too was tasted.A ruling coming from the honourable Supreme Court was reversed on the whims of a PM who had gained more than two-third majority riding on the wave of hate against Sikhs following the assassination of his mother,preceding PM Indira Gandhi.Any chances of a feeling of equality between all communities was systematically broken,as much as that the law of land was not the same for all.Talking about the central government,what helped them treat the two states of Punjab and Kashmir differently.Certainly the census foretold them,they can treat the two minorities differently.Minority for them has become synonymous with Muslims,which in fact with a population of 18% hardly in any real vulnerability.The other minorities,together constituting almost 2% of population is systematically ignored.Its a pure vote bank politics.The constitution,law,society,secularism,fundamentalism and all sorts of ideal bench-marks fail against the ludicirious offer of crown through votes.A uniform civil code bringing uniformity in all,that should have been demand of every political ideology to promote feeling of brotherhood,was discarded so that Muslims can be alienated from other groups and can be treated simply has a bunch of votes.Forwarding to the next decade,an dilipidiated and controversial Mosque had Ayodhia was pulled down by a crowd supported by leaders of BJP.The most significant name missing from the spot and who criticized the whole episode was Atal Bihari Vajpayee,who riding on the wave of many things included but votes captured on the emotional propaganda of this fiasco,became PM within 6 years.Was the mentality of people in India had became so sick that they were voting for a tamasha,for the mosque episode was nothing but a mockery of sympathy for Hindus.The matter could have been peacefully and legally sorted out,as the decision from High Court showed.In another half century,a Supreme Court decision would have probably upheld the law of the land.But,would the then government would have cared.A law once revoked to favour a certain community for nothing but mass voting can certainly be given another chance.An ace is never a wasted card in a game.Many people who muster and almost force us to believe that Babri Mosque fiasco was the start of communalism in free India,must not forget the earlier episodes right from 1952 and Hindu Code Bill to the present demand of implementation of reservation along religious lines.BJP did a grave mistake,as was said by AB Vajpayee.It brought the veil of secularism to the fore-front of Indian politics,toring it and starting the naked dance of religion.But,Babri was only a methodology to do something different and come to be noticed.An anti-corruption venture during the rein of Manmohan Singh could also have done the same thing later.Afterall,Babri Mosque was not the only Mosque built on the ruins of a temple(there were numerous converted by Babar or Aurangzeb) neither it was the only one related to birth-place of a God(there is a mosque just at the entrance of Krishna birth-place in Mathura).Simply.Babri Mosque was disputed in court so it became an easy target.The episode forever ended the chances of identification of such mosques either for historical and religious purposes.Apart,it put Hindus on par with religions that use muscular strength for their spreading.But,it was actually in no way spreading,but simply a political chronicle discarded by almost a majority of Hindus.But,unrepairable harm had already been done to the religion.
Babri Mosque was not the only mosque felt in the entire world.As much as that,the mosque in which none other that the Prophet Mohammed had offered his prayers,was brought down,for a purpose as simple as building a road.But such information that could have diffused the tension,as had been done during partition,was rubbished.Important thing to understand here is the prevalent political conditions of those era.A saffron coloured party was gaining huge mileage thanks to its Rath Yatra bringing a new sense of bonding among all Hindus.Other major party,Congress had lost big time elections a couple of years earlier on high-profile Bofors issue halving its seats from 1984 to 1989.Situation was not getting any turn around with economy in chaos(pre-liberation era) and a government handicapped on coalition partners.Regional satraps,better said,caste-satraps were losing their respective holds as kamandal had certainly etched out mandal.All party choose to play the last ace of religion.Some,like BJP,Shiv Sena,Akali Dal sided with divided majority and others like Congress,SP,RJD,CPM and DMK choose to go with the consolidated minorities and branded themselves secular.No where,was the fundamental question of tumbling to religious politics relevant.Most of the secular parties did not hesitated in putting a fear in the minorities for the sake of votes.Necessary rights were treated as government favours.The required government support was not given until big boasts had been braided.The constitution protection to minorities was doled as an allowance by few parties.Most of these so-called secular parties including LJP,JD(S),NC,BSP and TMC never hesitated in forming a government with saffron parties.Remembering the two great icons of anti-Congress,JP and Lohiya,the parties and leaders born out of their good name,RJD and SP,left all shades of other socio-economic policies to join hands with Congress on secularism.
The real secular or communal never existed,nor will exist.Politics on issues pertaining to public completely lost out.So did,all alternate visions from Sampoorn Kranti of mid-70's to the sins of Punjab riots in 1984.When capital punishment issued out to a terrorist,Afzal Guru is made politically sensitive and justification is made for the deeds of IM,the jink must be broken,once and for all.
Three decades of change has not forced any big change in the attitude of all political parties.The belief that politics has moved beyond those era and people no longer vote on religious lines is only half conceived.The next general elections,against the wishes of public and the youth,is again a fight between saffron and green.The most important issues of price-rise and corruption,be it 2G,Coal-scam or CWG causing a cumulative loss of almost 4 lakhs crores to the exchequer is being neglected solely due to the opposition candidature of Godhra-tainted Narendra Modi.Decision on secular or communal character of Narendra Modi has not been left out to judiciary or public.Its daily teared in news-channels and election debates.What puts some party above board to throw mud at other is above any just thinking.But,in doing so,they are robbing people to vote with an eye on all issues,from women security,internal security,Pakistan and Bangladesh infiltration,price-rise,Lokpal,China's advances to just a remembrance of the religion they were born into.All parties,who have failed to make an impact on public welfare,are trying hard to pull us back to the dark eras of 1990's with riots after riots.Muzzafarnagar is just the cherry-top.More is coming unless youth does remember that the colour of blood is red,whatever be the party,saffron or green.
