December 6, 2024 04:10 IST
First published: December 6, 2024 at 04:10 IST
Like every year since December 6, 1992, we face one of the most painful chapters in our nation’s democratic journey – the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It represented a dangerous moment when sectarian forces overrode the rule of law, when mob violence triumphed over constitutional values, and when the inclusive vision of our founding fathers and mothers was trampled. Demolishing the historical structure was also a symbolic attack on the pluralist principles mentioned in our constitution. Thirty-two years ago, mobs fed a steady diet of religious intolerance by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar not only demolished places of worship, but also rent India’s social fabric. At least for the foreseeable future.
The BJP and the family capitalized on religious sentiments, turning local disputes into national election narratives. They polarized communities and weaponized cultural symbolism for integration. It was never really a religious movement; It was always about politics and power. We should not forget that temple construction was a central promise that featured in BJP’s post-election manifesto for decades.
The discriminatory policies and attitudes of the previous two BJP majority governments as well as the current minority government, especially towards Muslims and minorities, Dalits and Backward Castes flow from the restoration of the BJP and the family’s political agenda. Late 1980s. Their radical Hindutva project was a reaction to India’s liberalisation, political awakening and revival of backward communities, and the contradictions of various movements for social and economic justice. The project was and is basically an attempt to mobilize and bind Hindu communities and create a context to help restore the traditional and hierarchical social order. Many observers have called it a revolution from above. Muslims were portrayed as outsiders and aggressors and enemies of Hindus in broad strokes through slurs and slogans. Today, opposition leaders and political parties, farmers, non-governmental organizations, independent media, professors, human rights defenders and anyone who dares to raise their voice for the rule of law and social justice are included in the enemy list.
Instead of promising a positive identity and progress, the Hindutva project thrives on anger, resentment, discrimination and violence. Hundreds of people died before the mosque was demolished as then BJP president LK Advani toured the country to stir up fervor. Hundreds of people lost their lives after the collapse. No accountability for destruction and death has diminished.
The Hindutva project remains preoccupied with the real and imagined past and has little to offer for the future. All these trends can be seen today in the controversies that the BJP and the family are trying to raise with impunity.
The dust of Babri Masjid demolition is suffocating the country. As our leader Lalu Prasad wrote in the same context a few years back, “The politics that gained currency after the Babri Masjid demolition is a fake version of moral politics. Values like honesty, hard work, propriety, development are only given lip service but the real value of such politics is zero. In fact, just as fake currency slowly discourages the economy, this fake brand of politics has gradually taken over our institutions and processes and communalized every aspect of our national life.”
The current government has systematically weakened independent institutions. The impartiality of the judiciary is often called into question in how it deals with serious challenges to government policies. The Election Commission, which was once a neutral body, now seems to have become a rule-following tool.
Today, I remember this tragic event with millions of fellow citizens, not to reopen wounds but to reaffirm our collective commitment to healing. Even as the perpetrators of the destruction roam free and justice seems unmet, we must transform this painful memory into a firm promise – that we will resist religious divisions from tearing apart our national unity and do our best to ensure the principles of secularism. The triumph of mutual understanding in divisive politics.
The author is a Rajya Sabha member of Rashtriya Janata Dal. Views are personal