RISE OF MAJORITARIANISM – NEEDS THE CHECK

•   (Relevant for Sociology Syllabus: Paper 1- Religion and Society & Paper 2- Religion and Society, Challenges of Social Transformation)
•   (Relevant for GS Syllabus: Paper1- communalism)

• The withdrawal of the advertisement by TANISHQ due to the sharp reactions from the few religious bigots and the showrooms of the company had to face the ire of the street goons who have taken to anti-social activity as a pretext in the name of religion.
• There is a rise in the levels of religious bigotry and malaise in the Indian society that is a matter of concern for the overall integrity of the nation. There has been a steady rise in the name of religion in acts of violence or giving threats to people of different religious faiths, lynching and mob attacks etc.
• In this unfortunate state of affairs, the state seems to be staying oblivious towards the problems. It is not a question of the advertisement of TANISHQ but by and large the brewing intolerance within society in the name of religion. ‘Religion is the opium of the people’ as Karl Marx had once said who had also stated that it is the cry of the weak.
• In India, the Hindus who form the majority of the country’s population have been projected as weak and those who have been ignored by and large by the earlier governments while the minorities have been given preference over them.
• This is to an extent true nevertheless the counter-reaction encouraged by the radical forces among the Hindus has created the ‘communal canyon’ between the religious faiths especially Hindus and Muslims. There has always been a rift in the past however with the rise of radicalism the rift has been transformed in a ‘canyon’ that is perhaps deeper than the ‘Grand Canyon’ of Colorado.
• This growing social aberration needs to be checked before it gets completely out of control and the nature of the Indian state changes from being secular towards a theocratic [non-secular] nation.
• There remains a possibility that India may start following a particular religion unofficially thus secularism might remain a name on paper and a term within the constitution.
• This can come as a future shock for the people who are living in this country who may find them being governed by a government that is non-secular and inclined towards a fascist ideology.
• The Asian societies of which India is a part has seen religious predominance in their social order with a majority of the Asian nations being Islamic and a few that are secular but there has been the predominance of a particular religious faith.
• This is the reason why the formation of non-secular nation-states has been the case in Asia. Except for the communist nations wherein religion has not been allowed to play an influential role in the state most of the secular non-communist nations there have been communal outbursts and religion has remained a dominant force in society as well as statehood.
• In India, the deviations or distortions that have crept into secularism due to certain practices of various political parties has resulted in the rise of majoritarianism and now with the Bharatiya Janata Party being at the helm of affairs, this has started to become the order of the day.
• The ruling party in India is governed by their parent body that is the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh [R.S.S.] that has been the proponent of the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ a modified theocratic state and an ‘Akhand Bharat’ that shall include the nations within the Indian subcontinent. Although ‘Hinduism’ has more to do with the way of life, the concept of ‘Hindutva’ that is now being propagated by the RSS and other such organisations deviates from the idea of Hinduism towards making of a ‘Hindu state’ wherein there shall be an official religion of the state and those who profess other religious faiths must adhere to the Hindu norms and way of life.
• There has so far been a perception that Hindu religion is quite liberal and tolerant which can be considered as true and acceptable to a certain extent as the existence of various types of worship and multiple deities induce this element of tolerance nevertheless the prevalence of a few customs do indicate the streak of intolerance that might not be as evident as is the case with a few other religious faiths.
• At the same time, the fact that cannot and should not be overlooked is the past of Hindu religion wherein there have been certain evil practices such as ‘Sati’, ‘Child Marriage’ and ‘Untouchability’ that have been legally prohibited now under the Indian constitution but still continue to exist in a clandestine manner in various parts of the country in remote villages.
• Although ‘Sati’ was stopped during the early nineteenth century by the efforts of social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and many others nevertheless there have been freak incidents in the country wherein the Roop Kanwar case in Deorala [Rajasthan] in the late 1980s had been reported.
• There has been a practice of constructing ‘Sati Temple’ at places where women had performed ‘Sati’ and these places have been holding a religious significance in the state or region. The custom of visiting these ‘Sati temples’ by couples continues thus inadvertently eulogising the tradition.
• Child Marriages still continue in parts of the country and can be observed in quite a few states in India. Children of the age of 10 to 12 years are married on occasions like ‘Akha Teej’ and the girl finally moves on to the house of her in-laws after she is 18 known as ‘Gauna’. There are a few states in the country where the custom continues and the families many of which are well to do take pride in this tradition and refuse to give it up.
• Untouchability remains in society though prohibited under the law and cases of atrocities perpetrated on the lower caste or ‘Dalit’ have been reported time and again. There have been honour killings that have been carried out with the aim of discouraging inter-caste marriages. Crimes against ‘Dalit women’ as a mark of masculinity and upper-caste dominance have started to become more frequent and are posing a challenge to the existing social order.
• The rise of majoritarianism that is being spiced by ‘Hindutva’ needs to be controlled and the proto-fascist tendencies growing in the Indian society needs to be checked and put an end to as it has become essential.
• There is an underlying weakness in India’s Left Front that has so far not been able to inculcate the confidence in the people’s mind nor have they achieved the desired acceptance due to which there chances of coming to power stay rather bleak for they alone can end the growing religious intolerance within society and ensure a secular India in letter and spirit. Without the Communists coming to power the problem shall continue to linger and get disastrous.
• To conclude it can be said that it is time the Left Front in India gears up as an independent force to reckon with and offers the desired political alternative as there is a need to check majoritarianism.