True to form, Rahul Gandhi has once again fled the electoral battlefield. He must have had extremely pressing personal matters to attend to abroad when the election campaigns in different states are gathering momentum. Loyalist family retainers often remind us of RaGa's 'prescience' and may now suggest that he has an inkling that the rising coronavirus infections are likely to restrict election rallies and the EC may even postpone the schedule but this can’t absolve the ageing gentleman of the charge of dereliction of duty. The cruel epithet 'Clown Prince' will surely resonate once again. But for the majority of his compatriots, the antics of the ‘Gandhis of 10 Janpath’ have long ceased to be even a sideshow providing comic relief in trying times.
The long-forgotten 'real' Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, has emerged as a polarising issue. Loudmouth supporters of the party in power at the centre and many states clad in various shades of saffron and scarlet have fired volleys of vile abuse at the invisible man whose toothless smile continues to haunt their ilk more than anything else. Vilification of a man assassinated more than seven decades back and deification of his murderer hasn’t been the only revolting shock that Indians have received.
The congregation at Haridwar that claimed to be a 'Dharma Sansad' (Religious Parliament) expelled toxic fumes of hate speech in volcanic eruptions.
Men dressed in the garb of hermits and mendicants, those who had renounced the material world in favour of spiritual pursuits, suddenly reclaimed the political arena. What reverberated were not soothing chants invoking peace and harmony but frightening hate speech— an open call to take up arms if necessary to cleanse this land of polluting minorities.
The government’s response to blatant hate-mongering has been chilling. Law and order we are reminded ad nauseam is a state subject. The DGP of Uttarakhand came out with a mind-boggling explanation that as no violence had resulted, no action against those who had allegedly made provocative speeches was undertaken. Other excuses are available. No FIR was filed. Abusing the Father of the Nation may be in extremely bad taste but can be safely indulged in invoking the protection granted by the fundamental right to Freedom of Speech.
It certainly shouldn’t be confused with Sedition. The double standards of the guardians of law and order and investigative and enforcement agencies have by now totally eroded the credibility of the government(s). The citizens are beginning to lose hope that timely judicial intervention can redeem the situation. In rare cases when an arrest is made, there is a clamour that due process hasn’t been followed and claims to spiritual leadership appear to protect the accused offender better than any Iron Dome.
It’s time to remind ourselves that Hinduism is not like other Abrahamic religions. It doesn’t have a Holy Book or a Prophet or Pontiff. Devout Hindus revere God in human manifestation—Avatara—to rescue them from demonic oppressors. The soothing prayer Dashavatara composed by poet Jayadeva testifies to this. Sadhus and sants have received veneration for their renunciation and asceticism. It’s ironic that these titles have been appropriated by ambitious men and a sprinkling of women donning saffron, ochre or spotless white who have acquired a taste for political power.
Godmen and gurus, yogis and sadhvis, babas and maharajs, and trendy spiritual mentors of the rich and the powerful have for years cast a long shadow. Some have contested and won elections, sworn to protect the Constitution, but in a blink have forgotten the oath of office. To be fair, it’s not only the hermits and fakirs who have lapsed. Professional politicians, dynasts and wannabe leader bureaucrats none have been able to resist the temptation to abuse religion.
The life of a Hindu is supposed to be guided by four objectives—the Purusharthas. These are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. It’s amazing how just one of these (Dharma) has pushed others off centre stage causing a severe, dangerous imbalance in our public life. Election speeches and manifestos are supercharged with sectarian (not truly religious) passion, lines are deliberately blurred between fact and fantasy, the electorate is divided dangerously between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’. In the heat of the electoral battle, no one has the time or inclination to examine the validity of charges of appeasement or victimisation of the majority. Religion can and does inflame passions.
The rising tide of historical revisionism drowns reason. Artha and Kama—the material dimension of our existence—are forgotten. Issues of economic development and equity desire for a better life—aspirations and expectations are brushed aside easily when the battle drums are beaten to rally around the faithful (in both camps—majority and minority) to save their threatened religion. Can, under these seemingly hopeless circumstances, one still hope against hope that Moksha—liberation from all forms of degrading bondage—be achieved?
Elections come and go. Can Sanatana Dharma allow itself to be abused for partisan purposes?
Pushpesh Pant
pushpeshpant@gmail.com
Former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi