The headline is not opposite of either nationalism, socialism, secularism, any of the modern –isms, or religions, secularism being its nearest cousin, because by secularism neither we nor for that matter any sensible leader means opposition to any religion but on the contrary it means tolerance among all religionists with no malice against anybody.
It is strange that in every context secularists are nicknamed ‘pseudo secularists’, while the very communalists claim to be real secularists who ‘do not appease other religionists for votes’, which for no reason should mean hating other religions and religionists and carrying out hate mongering, from preventing their minimum representation in legislatures to denying any nominal economic concessions similar to their economically backward sections.
Some argue ‘we are against any reservations or concessions on religious grounds’ whereas the present constitutional provisions are based on a person’s official religion or faith. For example, it is an open secret that innumerable churchgoers record ‘Hinduism’ as their religion to take advantage of the law.
Others point out that only SC and ST have constitutional provision for reservation and there is no such classification among Muslims, which is again a white lie. Economically backward Muslims are also deprived of any benefits which are recommended by statutory commissions and lie on paper like carat kept hanging before a fully loaded donkey to keep it moving constantly looking to catch up.
One fails to understand what one means by bringing the Muslims to the mainstream, when they are denied their fundamental rights of equality.
No one realises favouring the majority community is the real form of both appeasement and vote bank politics.
It is a public secret that even population forming major section i.e. Dalits, never benefited out of the so-called reservations in practice due to lack of transparency and ‘undeclared reservations’ of the upper caste in all walks of life, from education to politics, etc.
V.P. Singh is accused of spewing venom when he wanted to implement the Mandal Commission report. Is it anything less than that to see one institution or the other like High Courts or the Supreme Court blocking legitimate minority reservations almost in every field on flimsy grounds in open disregard to Constitutional provisions?
Time and again one finds hue and cry on imaginary nonissues like ‘temple’, ‘uniform civil code’, ‘modernisation of madrasas’ or ‘Article 370’, etc. raised, only to divert the public opinion on action being taken to resolve real issues like ‘mitigation of poverty’ and ‘preventing crime and corruption’, etc.
Lack of sensitivity and proper preventive or corrective action on these real problems is causing havoc in lives of millions and billions.
The government looks to be taking care exclusively of the crony capitalists and black marketers i.e. ‘election funders’ against whom the executive is totally spineless.
The only way to prevent falling prey to machinations of crony capitalists, of fascists and of Zionists spreading their wings everywhere on the globe, is to sincerely focus on real problems with efficient utilisation of funds – not mere routine warning, of ‘tough measures’ and making, mishandling by previous regime, a scapegoat.