The recent comment made by the Shiv Sena on the rise of the Muslim population according to the latest census figures, a rightist party of Maharashtra, having an alliance with the ruling NDA government at the centre has totally denounced and derogated the country’s soul and spirit. The Shiv Sena has been found saying,
There is no need for active Hindutwa forces to go gung ho about the Census figures that have been released. Though these figures are disturbing, we are still ready to take them in a positive way. Counting the number of Hindus living in India today, the country is still a Hindu nation that still has the poison of secularism in it.
The comment appeared in the editorial of their organ, “Saamana”. By using the term, “poison of secularism”, the Sena has directly made an attack on the very constitution of the country, which declares India to be a secular state. The rightist propaganda again comes to the fore with this; previously, the BJP had erased the word,”socialist” from the constitution while quoting the constitution in their leaflets and speeches on a sacred day for the country. That the rightist forces will have problems with the words such as “socialist” and “secular” is no new thing but the direct relinquishment of the terms speaks volumes of the major advancements that such “inhuman” forces have made over the past few years or so thumping over the back of the progressive forces.
While the physical attacks on the minorities are on the increase in the country, the Shiv Sena’s comment invites religious disturbance in an already disturbed scenario prevalent all around with the country with religious conflicts and church and mosque demolitions along with the rampant galloping of identity politics.
Further, in the organ, the Shiv Sena urged the “96 crore” Hindus to come together and stop the “hostile” activities that are going on in the madrassas and the mosques. The Sena made some pretty humorous and glib comments in the editorial. It said that the way in which the Muslims were increasing in the country, many have already started thinking about the return of the Mughal era, “We will not be surprised, if, in the next 50 Years, Mughal rule returns to the country riding on the secularism bogie”, were the exact words the Sena used.
They threatened the Hindus of rapid Islamisation of the country if they failed to take any step under the present circumstances. The fulmination of secularism is evident in each and every statement of the Shiv Sena. The Sena speaks of Islamisation but makes no distinct remarks on the militant Hinduisation that they are trying to carry forward in a secular country like ours, where each religion is equal.
Also, the Sena accused the lack of family planning and polygamy for the increase in the population of the Muslims among the many other factors. If we take the statement to be true although it has no scientific basis, The Sena has forgot that India is a democratic state where no restriction has been put on the number of children a family can have and the family laws are different for different religions, and polygamy remains legal for Muslims under the terms of The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937, as interpreted by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board”, which makes it unconstitutional to accuse any Muslim person of having extra wives. The Shiv Sena even forgot to look at statistics, which suggest that polygamy was less prevalent among Indian Muslims than Buddhists and adivasis, but no mention of those were made.
The “politics of region” has been indicated as another reason for the increase in the Muslim population although the statement does not stand a ground if we evaluate it logically. But, among everything, another fact has come to light, the Shiv Sena’s wish to make everything politically correct, after the derogatory comments it made on the Muslims, they tried to sugar-coat the same by saying that,
Muslims today are seeing the condition of Pakistan. They should now come together with Hindus for the cause of development. They should not look at Hindus as a religion but as an Indian culture and bow before the motherland.
The above statement adheres to the comment once made by a RSS leader that if the minorities have to continue living in India, they have to accept the ways and rules of the majority. Such comments and occurrences are harrowing to the progressive masses of the country and the time is ripe for each and every secular minded person in the country to voice up his protest against the same. The central government led by another fascist party, the BJP, has as usual, remained silent on the issue, because the thing in question here is the dignity and respect of the minorties.
News Source – JAGRAN
