Governance, once upon a time, was the noblest means of serving people. But nowadays it has been degraded to self-aggrandisement, deception and violation of basic freedoms and fundamental rights of people. Some democracies have descended to the level of just holding of periodical elections and winning them by false and questionable methods.
Frequent reports of Association of Democratic Rights (ADR) confirm that a majority of elected representatives have criminal records to their discredit. When a narrowminded, parochial and bigoted party controls the levers of power and imposes its will by using undemocratic methods and falsehood, and poisons the minds of masses, it becomes doubly dangerous. Unfortunately we are facing this dangerous situation and are in the eye of a storm of fascist and inhuman ideology.
The ruling party has sowed the seeds of hatred and completely poisoned the minds of the large masses. Its motto of sab ka saath, sab ka vikas, sab ka vishwas is just a ruse and trick to fool the people. The poisonous propaganda of the party has spoiled the thinking of common people. They think and act on the lines of we-and-they and Hindus-versus-Muslims.
The one point agenda of the party is just to perpetuate its rule by hook or by crook. It has filled the hearts of large sections of the Hindu majority with hate and distrust of the Muslim minority. On the basis of hate and suspicion it succeeds in polarisation of votes and winning of elections. It believes in toko, roko and thoko (warn them, stop them and strike them).
The campaign against hijab of girl students in a fairly fair-minded secular state of Karnataka has repercussions all over the country. India is a nation of nations and communities. It has great diversity and plurality. It has countless ethnic groups, denominations and cultures. The innocent hijab has been made by the fascist elements a big issue. It is strange hat in a country which has thousands of ethnic groups and hundreds of languages and dialects. The hijab row indicates the hate and suspicion with which large sections of the majority community are being influenced.
We have bindis and bangles being used by Hindus. We have various religious symbols like crucifixes, talismans, etc. Different castes, denominations and what not. They why the BJP government in Karnataka is objecting to Muslim girls wearing scarves or burqas. The party has filled the hearts and minds of large sections of Hindus with the hate of Muslims. People are frightened that if BJP does not stop its nefarious divide-and-rule policy, the situation may turn, God forbid, into a civil strife. May God save our beloved country from this situation.