This
article as well has to begin with a disclaimer. I love my country a lot, but
the love for my country does not make me hate any other. Also for me patriotism
is not the prerogative of the supporters of Narendra Modi or the men in Armed
Forces - any Indian working honestly is a great contributor to this nation and
needs to be applauded. Because of this reason I am not yet giving up my Indian
citizenship and moving to Pakistan. Also for the record Congress Party has not
offered me an election ticket.
In these times of elections and the
ensuing acute polarization amongst the supporters of different ideologies and
supporters, I also have had my discussions and debates with different groups. The
most difficult ones have been the supporter of Narendra Modi, not because of
their ideology, but because of their resorting to name calling at the drop of a
hat.
I recently had another hot debate
with one of the Modi supporters. What amazed me was how anguished and
disadvantageous an upper caste Hindu can feel in this country; and at the same
time call the fears and apprehensions of the ‘minority’ Muslim community and
the millions of other lower caste Hindus who have been discriminated against
for centuries, ill-founded.
Till few years back, I used to curse
the government for giving reservations to the backward castes and taking away the
rights of the ‘meritorious and deserving’ upper caste students. I also held
Muslims responsible for their own fate and underdevelopment, as they are the
ones refusing to educate their children. But in doing so, I was very
conveniently ignoring the privileges that come along by my being born as an “Upper
Caste Hindu”. For sure my father did not have enough money and my schooling was
completed with the help of loans. Despite this I never had to negotiate the
terms of my very existence. No body raised questions about my affiliation and loyalty
for this country. I never had to sit on a floor in presence of another upper
caste Hindu and my brother did not have to worry about being beaten up, should
he decided to ride a Mare in his Marriage procession.
Well during the debate I was being
accused of being “indoctrinated” and forming my opinion only on the basis of a
particular region. But I challenge the thinking city-dwellers to come out of
their comfort zones and venture anywhere 30 kilometers from Delhi and see the
reality themselves. When Shekhar Gupta says that ‘India is not secular because
its minorities say so; but India is secular because it's major community wants
it so’ (as quoted by my dissenter), I
could not agree more. However, this is not something to be taken for granted.
The majority community is doing themselves a favour by doing so. Just lift your
heads and look across the borders in the East and the West and one would understand
the privilege one has being the part of a secularist and pluralistic society
based on democratic values.
Whether one likes it or not, in any
secular and democratic country, the main burden of upholding the democratic and
secular values lie with the majority community with a population of 80.5
percent in the country. So if 13.5 percent of Muslims feel themselves to be
vulnerable and apprehensive, the responsibility lies with us to integrate them
more in the mainstream.
Before sharing the arguments, I just
want to recall an incident that happened in the heart of Delhi at the India
Gate couple of years ago. I was having ice-cream with a friend at Rajpath – the
very road where the grand Republic Day parade takes place. A guy with beard,
donning a white kurta pyjama and Muslim skull cap stopped his scooter and asked
pointing to the lit up Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s House) at Raisina Hill, “Can
we go up there?” We replied in unison – “Yes, of course.” He replied, this time
pointing to his dress, “No, No I am asking can WE go.” I felt embarrassed and
ashamed that over six decades after the independence of this secular,
democratic and republic a country, a citizen in still conscious of the way he
or she looks. Is not it a collective failure of us as a country? Or can we
just turn a blind eye and keep marching towards our goal to become a “Superpower”. And is
this goal achievable, as 13.5 percent of its population continues to remain marginalized
and feels insecure?
Here is my email conversation with a Modi Supporter –
Modi
Supporter: You do not like Modi is it?
Me: No
Modi Supporter: Who do you like
then? Just asking. If you do not wanna share it’s ok.
Me: I am not a Rahul Gandhi
supporter. But in the given scenario I might go with him rather than somebody
like Modi.
Modi Supporter : Ritu on a serious
note can I ask u briefly why do you have antipathy for Modi? It is not that I am
trying to convert you for him.
Me: My problem is his communal image.
And the language he uses when it comes to minority. And even if one calls it (the
apprehensions of the Muslims) wrong, the heavy burden of upholding democratic
and secular values lie with the majority community.
If the minority is feeling
threatened by him, there is something wrong with the system that we would be
upholding him as the messiah for India
Modi Supporter : You know Ritu, did
u read one of my posts about this?
Me : Which one?
Modi Supporter : Modi is NOT
communal. I had said.
Me: nopes I did not. What did it say?
Modi Supporter : Wait lemme dig it
out for u. ‘India is not secular because its minorities say so; but India is
secular because it's major community wants it so!!’ Thus spoke Shekhar Gupta on
NDTV. Let me tell you today and plz take it from with all sincerity at my
command. Modi is NOT communal in outlook. He has been painted like that.
Me : With all due respect to your
views, if the Chief Minister of a state do not want communal riots to take
place in his state there won’t be any.
Modi Supporter : Ritu you have
clearly a rigid view.
Me: Had Rajiv Gandhi instead of
passing a statement like Newton's third law (after
the Godhra incident, instead of going after the perpetrators of the heinous
crime, Modi was also busy teaching the Newton’s Third Law – that every action
has an equal and opposite reaction.), had said that nothing should happen,
do you think likes of Jagdish Tytler would have the guts to go ahead and do it (the Sikh killings in the aftermath of
Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh Bodyguards in 1984?)
Modi Supporter : so i won’t try to
convince you.
Me: Feelings are mutual in this
regard.
Modi Supporter : So how does that
make the Congress any better?
Me : I am not talking about a party
here
Modi Supporter : And to be very very
frank with u
Me : I am talking about an
individual called Narendra Modi. Had Rajiv Gandhi being alive, I would have
been against him as well.
Modi Supporter : it is my considered
view that all this communal card is played by vested interests. The call of
today is progress people play this card to divert attention from failings on
other fronts.
Me: But if I have to choose between
secularism or progress I will go for the former
Modi Supporter: And if you ask me my
honest opinion I do not see any reason why Muslims shall call themselves a
minority!
Good luck to u
Me: Till sometime back I also used
to think the same why Muslims call themselves minority?
Modi Supporter : You do not compare
number of Hindus versus numbers of Muslims overall level, if u compare them by
the way they are distributed in specific areas they are in majority. Take for
example Rampur.
Me: But being minority is not a
question of numbers. Look around, why we did not have a single Muslim Army
Chief till now? Even 2 percent Sikhs have better statistics. My parents would
be fine if I marry anybody as long as it is not a Muslim.
Modi Supporter : Ritu your bias is
rather indoctrinated.
Me: Indoctrinated by whom?
Modi Supporter : To be honest with
you I found your preference for secularism over development as a non-argument
and illogical.
Me : And again sir your views are
fashioned by experience and mine by indoctrination?
Modi Supporter : I have no idea. But
for sure you do not have logic on your side
Me : Why? To value freedom and
secularism over progress is illogical?
Modi Supporter : Yes they are . What
you refer to as secularism is a very narrow and malfide definition. But I am
sorry I can prove it to you that you cannot actually call Muslims in India a
minority community. And i will prove it to by logic. That your postulation is
faulty
Me: The feeling of fear is always
not logical. (It is all about perception.
Just as a Nation is an ‘imaginary community’ a concept borrowed from the West, the
question of fear and dignity is all about perception. If a Muslim in the
country after over 60 years feel marginalized even because of his/her
perception, it is a sorry state.)
Modi Supporter : Sorry. Feeling of
fear has to have a basis. This is an imagined fear
Me: We are born with only fear of
falling and loud sounds, all the rest are induced by the society.Modi Supporter
: Now you are talking intangible. Give me facts to prove your hypothesis that Muslims
in India is a minority community. Fear is a rather intangible reason.
Me: Because they are the ones pitted
against the majority community. They are the ones being marginalised especially
post-partition.
Modi Supporter : Today i being a Hindu
can be afraid of stepping into Rampur for example where every 9 out 10 people
are Muslims.
Me: And I am not saying that it is
all the doing of the majority. The going away from each other happened from
both the communities.
Come
on. Come on. Do not talk generalities. Please be factual.
Me: Which part of it was fiction? Partition
or both communities having mutual distrust for each other?
Modi Supporter: Were they denied
opportunity to educate their children in normal schools? Were they denied jobs?
Is it because of religion or because of lack of qualifications and to answer
your question regarding NO Muslim Chief.
Me: But the problem is that we do
not accept that we get an unsaid advantage by the virtue of being born in the
majority community. The problem with Muslims was that all their elites moved to
Pakistan after partition.
Modi Supporter : Do you know what is
the percentage Muslims who opt for a career in the Army?
Me: Yeah I agree they do not opt for
Army and what is the reason?
Modi Supporter: I got an UNFAIR
disadvantage of being from the so called majority and upper caste community.
Me: May be you can enlighten me.
Modi Supporter : Yes I can enlighten
you. They simply do NOT want to join.
Me: That is why I am asking why won’t
they want to join?
Modi Supporter : Ask them. Nobody
stops them. It is a volunteer army. Trust me when I say this the Army does NOT
discriminate. I can say this with conviction. And if a Muslim officer has not reached the
top job it is purely due to mathematics and service factors such as age and
seniority
Me: Democracy is not just arithmetic.
That is where inclusiveness comes to the front. One needs to make an effort to
engage those who do not want to engage
Modi Supporter : The army does not
go to peoples’ Mamas and say pls send your Son to the Army.
Me: I am not asking Army to do it. But
the government which is an elected body needs to make that effort.
Modi Supporter : This minority story
is all BULLSHIT used by people to keep our nation down. Look I personally do
not have anything to do with Modi. In fact I find him crude and obnoxious. But
we do not need a goody goody gumdrops chocolate cream sweety pie. We need a
tough chap, who has the guts to lead this nation. And frankly all this secular
stuff is not gonna get us anywhere.
Me: You remind me of a friend, who
came to Germany.... Her statement was, "You know Hitler killed some jews.
Otherwise the roads and other infrastructure he built for Germany was
immaculate."
Modi Supporter : But the fact is
that you have not provided me with one tangible fact to support your assertions.
Listen the story about Jews is like comparing apples to oranges.
Me: Because for you fear based on
religion is not tangible. According to you the problems of Muslims is theirs
and not the Ccountry’s. I am not comparing. But what I am saying is you want
infrastructure I want basic dignity for people.
Modi Supporter : Sorry this fear psychosis
is deliberately created by people with a hidden anti-national agenda. Your
sense of indignity is perceived and self-assumed. (Of course Muslims needed
somebody to tell them the meaning of 3,000 people belonging to their own
community mercilessly in a ‘secular’ country.)
Me : Dignity is always perceived. It
is not a tangible commodity that you could buy off the shelf in the market.
Modi Supporter : Yes that is why it
is a specious argument in Nation-building.
Me : If Muslims patriotism is
doubted it is a matter of perception. If we consider ourselves as a Nation it
is again a perception.
Modi Supporter : That is funny. Because
to the best of my knowledge this sense of doubt is expressed and voiced by the
Muslims themselves. I have not heard a single majority community leader of
consequence repeat consequence doubt it. Do not talk about the fringe elements.
Me : May be we come from two
different worlds. Because where I come from it is the Hindus/Sikhs who raise questions
about the belongingness of Muslims to India. I am not talking about fringe
elements. Even if Modi did not consider him responsible for Gujarat Riots, what
business he had to say that even if a puppy comes under car you feel bad (in
reference to the Gujarat Riots). Is it befitting a future PM?
Modi Supporter : What is befitting
then for a future PM and his in laws to rob our nation? Forget it. I think it
is beyond you.
