Sushil Kutty
Ayodhya,
Sabarimala, Gurugram, Akbar Fort, Noida, lunatic asylum, pilgrimage centre,
women’s right to pray, Muslims’ right to pray… Since May 26, 2014, ever since
BJP won the rulers’ grubstake, religious issues have acquired a political
colour, which has gotten a deeper shade with general elections 2019
approaching. The Sangh Parivaar is basically a politico-religious
configuration. It mirrors monotheistic religions, which themselves are not
beyond politics. But the name of the game in India is religious polarization to
win elections.
Ex-RBI Governor
Raghuram Rajan says a ‘majoritarian agenda’ divides people. By that token,
mollycoddling the ‘minority’ also divides people. Cut off a large or a small
slice of the cake, both ways there will be division. The Ayyappa Temple at
Sabarimala and the Authority Park in Sector 58, Noida, offer insights. The two
are in the news over the issue of the right to pray. In Sabarimala, it is the right
to pray of women of all ages infringed. In Noida, the right to pray of Muslims
interfered with.
But the
argument splinters two different ways. In Noida, it is ‘how can government and
police interfere?’ In Sabarimala, it is ‘police and government can interfere.’
In both situations, there is the law to contend with. And there is violation of
the law, too. Like the guy and the gal answer to the question “are you in
any relation?” with: “It’s complicated.” Do people, including
law enforcement, know the law? Is there application of mind in decisions taken
on matters governed by law? Are the laws being followed, enforced, without fear
or favour?
As it
happens, when it comes to religion, laws are often flouted. Also, not enforced
properly. Until all hell breaks loose! July 2018, Puducherry Lt. Governor Kiran
Bedi goes to the Social Welfare Department in the Union Territory and finds
none of the officers in the department has any knowledge of the laws governing
‘Senior Citizens Welfare’, ‘Juvenile Justice’, ‘Child Welfare, ‘NGOs’ or
‘Domestic Violence’ – not the ‘Director’, the ‘Deputy Director’, ‘Assist.
Director’ or the ‘Welfare Officers.’ And all of them 20 years in service!
Pathetic. ‘Criminal’ is the word.
The law on
Sabarimala changed September 28, 2018. And because of the turmoil that followed
and continues to date, everybody, including children, are aware of the change.
The Noida Police sat on the law governing religious congregations in public
places without being aware of it, till challenged by an emerging law and order
situation. Now, Noida has become a flashpoint and experts on TV cannot step out
of their bias, throwing allegations and counter-allegations of ‘majoritarian
bullying’ and ‘minority appeasement’.
There are
lessons to be learned. Why did the Noida companies ask their Muslim employees
to pray ‘outside’ without examining the law? Why did the Noida Police not
notice the congregation grow from 15 to 1,000 and not question for four plus
years, why now? Why the different treatment of ‘Kawaria’ and ‘Namaz’ by the
Yogi government? Are Muslims being stopped from constructing mosques? Is there
a law limiting religious gatherings at public places? Do RSS shakhas and
laughter-therapy sessions in parks translate to congregation, do they breach
the law?
Apparently,
there is a 2009 Supreme Court verdict governing religious congregations at
public places. But what is a public place for religions? The Ayyappa Temple is,
according to the apex court, a public place. A park is also a public place. But
there are reasonable restrictions, including ‘law & order and public
morality issues,’ limiting religious congregation in parks. The Authority Park
in Noida has now become a ‘law and order’ problem with religious overtone.
Politics is seesawing on the religious swing!
Gurugram
witnessed a similar ‘Namaz in the open’ dispute a few months ago. Apparently,
in both Gurugram and Noida, Muslims offering Namaz in the open were mostly
migrant workers from West Bengal. They have no mosques to offer Namaz. That
said, communal tensions are, to an extent, real. Add to that the BJP’s
majoritarian and the opposition parties’ minority agendas and it is important
that both majority and minority hold their horses, and noses. Communal
conflagrations triggered by politics benefit only the lowlife.
That being
said, if dissent is what makes democracy, there are constructive and creative
ways to lodge dissent. Like the ‘Ayyappa Jyothi’ of the Ayyappa devotees that
lit Kerala up Wednesday (December 26) evening, from Kasargode to the Triveni Sangam
in Kanyakumari. Stretched over 790 km, the light traversed all the Kerala
districts, touched over 3,000 religious centres, wound its way through numerous
villages and towns – covered the cities of Kozhikode, Mallappuram, Ernakulam,
Kottayam, Pattanamthitta, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. A total of 15 lakh
‘Ayyappa Jyothi’ lamps lighting up Kerala from end to end, 6 pm to 6.15 pm!
January 1,
2019, the LDF Government’s ‘Great Wall of Women’ will stretch from Kasargode to
Thiruvananthapuram and it will try to match ‘Ayyappa Jyothi’ – spectacle for
spectacle! Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will have to beat the
slumgullion with slumgullion! The word ‘slumgullion’ was one of the top
look-ups in Webster Merriam dictionary this month. It means both ‘inexpensive
stew’ and ‘insipid drink’!
The post The slumgullion to sway voters appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
