It is no wrong at all to say that the widely accepted pluralist view of nationalism and Indian-ness is now being challenged by a viewpoint depicting ‘purifying exclusivism’/’exclusiveness’ through the idea of ‘cultural nationalism’. In fact, the idea of ‘cultural nationalism’ is premised principally on a shared culture narrowly defined. In fact, it has now assumed the feature by and large of a culture which but depicts the Hindutva ideology in every sphere of life.
It must not be forgotten that in the typology of democracy, ours is a liberal one based on universal suffrage, tolerance, needed respect for diversity, a comprehensive charter of rights and rule of law that brings together development, governance, equality and justice. And, this can be attained only when equality and fraternity are allowed to get fully grown up and bloomed without any obstruction created on grounds of caste, creed and religion. On the contrary, any dilution of this principle will certainly take it in the direction of an ethnic democracy, implicitly or otherwise, and would ultimately bring forth a structure based on intolerance and narrow-mindedness, which can never take the nation to the shore of development, prosperity and strength.
At present we are closely observing that our country is being confronted by two sets of challenges – one of them pertains to principles and values of public life and the other to institutional structures of the Indian polity. These both seem to be under stress for a variety of reasons. Some of these are easily identified by reading the section of Fundamental Duties and assessing the extent to which these are observed, individually and collectively.
In a country where rule of law and justice appear to have been thrown into the dustbin, where rogue elements have been and are continuously being backed and supported by the politicians associated with the central government and where netas think only of and give uppermost importance to winning elections and capturing power by hook or by crook. Justice, voice of conscience and feeling of fraternity lose any sense and meaning to such politicians. To justify this, numerous illustrations can be cited and, well, this is better known to most of us. What is needed most here is a clear mindset and judicious thinking throwing the shackles of prejudice, bias, hatred and animosity which stem out of the mind which is rusted and corrupt.
It must be kept in mind that ours is not a ‘Hindu Culture’ alone. In fact, it is a meaningful assimilation of some other cultures also. We follow and practise different religions freely, speak different languages and practise different customs. Despite this diversity, we are all united and called Indians. Besides, the Hindu culture itself is based on fraternity and love. It has always welcomed and embraced closely other cultures that stepped in the soil of India. This has been the glaring feature of the Hindu culture since the time immemorial. But, alas! This glittering aspect of the mentioned culture is being deformed and mutilated by personalities belonging to both political and apolitical organisations. Undoubtedly, these personalities appear to have bent upon giving a practical shape and form to the ideologies that constitute the ‘Base of RSS’.
During the last few years, however, we have witnessed, and still have been witnessing, some covert and overt attempts to discredit and destroy the Constitution by a certain chauvinistic and vindictive set of people masquerading as political parties. ‘Save Constitution’ is a force that we have been raising to defeat these nefarious plans. We need all those with unwavering belief in democracy and the Constitution of India to come forward to thwart the ulterior motives of the elements striving hard to shatter the spirit and true image of pluralism.
It is but an irony that at present the mob has the job of doing justice. On the other hand, most of the political leaders connected with the central government (BJP) appear to be living in fear. Political philosophers say that ‘fear rules the roost’. Undoubtedly, we have been living in an age in which facts can be manufactured and statistics made to order. The miasma of untruth has become so pervasive that uttering the truth sounds like blasphemy. Besides, it invites some harsh and unpalatable label, such as ‘anti-national’.
It is no wrong to say that the youth today is vulnerable in the face of all the venom being spewed on social media. It must be given due consideration that if spreading hatred over social media is easy then it must also be easy to spread love through justified ways and means. We must not be passive to negativity on the internet. The problem is that every time someone says something bad and outrageous, it makes the headlines, but messages of love and peace don’t get as much traction. It is, therefore, imperative that we must ignore the negativity and embrace those who seem different because we are all God’s children.
Constitutional morality acts as an essential check on the misuse of powers. Unbridled power without any checks and balances would result in a despotic and tyrannical situation which is antithetical to the very essence of democracy. There are some elements in the society who are continuously striving hard to change the very soul of our Constitution. These elements have been adopting and applying different methods of varied dimension and magnitude to alter the Constitution to accomplish their most cherished objective of denying some basic rights to people belonging to the minority communities, especially the Muslims and the Dalits.
No right-thinking person will reject the truth that the political discourse revolving around recurrent incidents of violence is a deliberate ploy to sustain communal tensions in the run-up to the general election due next year as it helps the government divert public attention from its failures. Mob lynchings have become the norm and people have started believing that they can take the law into their own hands and dispense instant justice. Here arises a question, ‘what role is the Judiciary supposed to play under the situation?’
It is but mind-boggling that a minister from the Union Council of ministers has challenged the law by felicitating seven persons convicted in a lynching case. It is quite heartrending that instead of feeling ashamed and repentant the said minister has audaciously defended his action. What kind of justice one can expect under such a situation which is but so much communally vitiated by the elements appearing to have bent upon tarnishing the secular image of the Constitution and tearing apart the social fabric woven together with the thread of Social Justice, Love and Fraternity. It is to be noted that when a senior member of the Union Government openly supported those convicted of a heinous crime, it certainly sent a completely wrong message to public servants entrusted with the protection of citizens’ life and liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. This is a kind of sabotaging of the institutions of justice and equity and the celebration of violence. It is but a shameful matter for all right-thinking and conscientious persons to see how the criminals are really felicitated as heroes and a particular segment of the population is being invited to view them as such.
It must be admitted that such incidents highlight the horrifying apathy, if not implicit support, of various governments, at the central and state levels, to vigilante violence against individuals of specific communities. But what has been even more mind-boggling has been the open challenge to the rule of law by those entrusted with its protection. What better outcome can one expect when lawmakers tend to become lawbreakers and overtly backing the convicts and thereby making a mockery of the rule of law. Is it that the present central government has been providing tacit support for the miscreants and criminals supporting the ruling government?
At last but not the least, politicians, whatever hues and colours they belong to, must act with a sense of responsibility and avoid nurturing and promoting divisive tendencies among groups based on caste, community and religion leading to law and order problems. And, it is also a pious duty of every judicious person to thwart the ugly designs and ulterior motives of some political as well as apolitical personalities striving hard to change the Constitution and convert the nation into a Hindu state.