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Why Dadri Matters

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October 26, 2015 21:03 IST

The prime minister, says Ram Kelkar, could do a lot to advance his stature as a
national leader by speaking in strong and unequivocal terms on the subject of
opposing intolerance and emphasising the rule of law, thereby setting the tone
for the nation and the party.

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n recent weeks, a series of horrific incidents in India have attracted national and
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in a country that has prided itself on its long history of humanism and pluralism.
A man was beaten to death by a mob in Dadri over rumors that he and his family had
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A truck driver from Jammu and Kashmir was attacked with a petrol bomb in Udhampur
following rumours about cows slaughter.
An MLA from Jammu and Kashmir was the target of a fringe Hindu outfit which threw ink and
oil on him at the Press Club in New Delhi, protesting against a beef party he held in Srinagar.

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Activists from the Shiv Sena used threats of violence to force the cancellation of a music
concert by Pakistani music legend Ghulam Ali.
They also blackened the face of columnist and think tank head Sudheendra Kulkarni for having
the temerity to organize a book launch for former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid
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It took Prime Minister Narendra Modi ten long days after the Dadri attack to break his silence
on this spate of violent incidents. And instead of an unequivocal call for an end to violence in
the name of any belief system, cause or creed, all he had to offer was that 'the Dadri incident or
the opposition to Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali are sad and undesirable. But what is the
role of the central government in these incidents?' suggesting that the Centre cannot act in

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each such incident and it is also up to the state government and local authorities to enforce the
law.
Mr Modi is absolutely right in making that anodyne and factually correct statement, and yet
his reaction totally misses the larger point. Leadership is about knowing when to speak up

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forcefully, because those words set the tone for the party cadres and the entire nation.
he prime minister's duty is to use the bully pulpit to emphatically state that violence is not
just 'sad and undesirable,' but abhorrent and prosecutable in a democracy under rule of law,
and that the central and state governments would prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest
extent permitted under the law and the Constitution of India.
Meanwhile, a fellow BJP leader, Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, showed

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how leaders should speak, stating that while 'we may not agree with views of somebody, but
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not illegal, it's the duty of a state to provide protection... we cannot endorse Mr Kasuri, but
can't let our state turn into (a) banana republic.'
Deadly attacks on the basis of religion are hardly new in India, and did not suddenly begin
after the BJP's ascent to power. One of Maharashtra's most vocal rationalists, Dr Narendra
Dabholkar, was shot dead in Pune in 2013 when the Congress party was in power in the state
of Maharashtra and in New Delhi.
In late August, eminent Kannada scholar and rationalist M M Kalburgi was gunned down for
his views on idol worship, and police are probing the suspected role of right-wing elements. A
member of the Sanatan Sanstha organization was arrested for the murder of rationalist Govind
Pansare in February.
In recent days, media reports indicate that journalist Nikhil Wagle, who rails against godmen
and superstition, has also received threats indicating that he could be the next target of the
extremists. Shyamsundar Sonar, a Marathi journalist, has come under attack for preaching
Sant Tukaram's Bhakti philosophy in a rational manner.
Mr Wagle believes that the greatest threat these groups pose is their disdain for the opinions of
others. 'There is no democratic spirit. If you disagree with them then you are threatened. They
are spreading this poison and I'm worried about this atmosphere.'
JP and Shiv Sena supporters commenting on social media platforms such as Facebook and
WhatsApp are vitriolic in discarding any criticism, and accuse those who raise the issue as
being guilty of 'selective outrage' because such incidents took place in the past when Mr Modi
wasn't the PM.
A commonly hurled epithet is 'sickular,' which is the derogatory term lobbed at anyone who
commits the lse-majest of criticising the prime minister or the BJP. Even the slightest
critical assessment of the current government leads to paroxyms of victimhood, and tirades
against anyone not unconditionally supportive of Mr Modi.
There is no room for balanced commentary which recognizes both the good and the bad of the
BJP government and any mention of concerns about the issue of intolerance and related

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violence is met with fiery rhetoric and invective against liberals, 'Paki-lovers' etc.

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There are, in fact, many fascinating parallels between the commentary and reaction from BJP
supporters in India, and their right-wing equivalents in the US. Both are convinced that the
whole world is against them, and that the Main Stream Media is soft on terrorists, foreigners,
and non-coreligionists.
Brash Indian 'exceptionalism' is now competing with strident US 'exceptionalism,' and woe
betide anyone who tries to take a balanced, nuanced view of the reality that neither of the
world's largest pluralistic democracies is perfect, and each could do with some introspection in
living up to the idealism of their respective founding fathers.
Indians voted in large numbers for the BJP in the national elections in 2014 with high hopes
for a practical, pragmatic and business oriented administration. They wanted a government
that would help India grow at a rapid pace and advance faster.
he Hindutva card, while it may have mattered to some, was not the primary plank for the
party. It was all about good governance and 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great
India)'. The BJP's manifesto stated that the party '... believes that in India's 'Unity in Diversity'
lies India's biggest strength.'
Regrettably, the PM's reaction to the Dadri incident is of a piece with the winks and nods that
the BJP appears to be using to signal a hardline right-wing stance to certain sections of Indian
society.
The human resources development ministry sent letters to directors of all IITs and IIMs
seeking details of cooking and catering arrangements in their institutions. All this was done on
the basis of a letter from an RSS activist accusing the IITs of giving Western 'kusanskar (bad
culture)' to students through food.
The information and broadcasting ministry appointed Gajendra Chauhan on the basis of a one
paragraph resume, and the only notable achievement mentioned in the document was his role
as Yudhisthir in the television serial Mahabharat.
In recent days, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj made the case for a law that provides for the death
penalty for cow slaughter and defended the assault on the MLA from the Jammu and Kashmir
assembly as a 'natural reaction' to the independent legislator's action. 'Leaders need to change
their mindset or get beaten up by the people in full public view,' said the BJP MP from Unnao
in Uttar Pradesh.
An Australian couple was allegedly harassed in Bengaluru recently over a tattoo of a Hindu
goddess and then forced by the police to apologise for 'hurting religious sentiment.' The young
tourists were at a restaurant when a group came to their table and started harassing them
about the tattoo and threatened to 'skin him.'
These kinds of incidents are of a piece with harassment over Valentine's Day, including
vandalism, moral policing, and threats of violence against couples who display public affection.
hysically assaulting anyone over perceived slights to one's religious views did not begin
since Mr Modi came to power, but the silence of the leadership over these kinds of issues may
be emboldening potential perpetrators

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Meanwhile the Panchjanya magazine, a mouthpiece of the RSS, ran a cover story that
questionably claimed that the Vedas order the killing of 'sinners' who slaughter cows. And in
line with extensive commentary on the same lines in social media, it criticised writers and
novelists who have returned their Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against the Dadri
incident for not respecting the feelings of an 80% majority of the nation, presumably referring
to the Hindu population of India.
Recent reports in the press indicate that BJP Chief Amit Shah has 'reprimanded' several top
party leaders for making controversial comments on the Dadri lynching and beef, saying that
they were diverting attention from Modi's economic agenda.
Reprimanding party leaders who are merely taking cues from the words of party leaders is an
exercise in futility, and it's a little late in the day to rein in saffronisation after having subtly
stoked the fires for many months and years.
It must be pointed out that the controversial beef ban in Maharashtra was put in place way
back in 2004 when the Congress party was in power, as Chief Minister Fadnavis has pointed
out. However, it is equally true that verbal cues and dog whistles from senior leaders can lead
to violent incidents like the ones in Udhampur and Dadri.
eining in the extreme elements in the BJP is critical if Mr Modi wants to stay focused on
economic development and 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.'
The prime minister could do a lot to advance his stature as a national leader by speaking in
strong and unequivocal terms on the subject of opposing intolerance and emphasising the rule
of law, thereby setting the tone for the nation and the party.
The alternative is a slippery slope to religious and sectarian extremism of which there are
unfortunately too many examples in India's neighbourhood.
Ram Kelkar is a Chicago-based writer.
Ram Kelkar

Related News: BJP, Mr Modi, Great India, Shiv Sena, Dadri Matters

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Discussion Board
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Total 24 messages

Pages | 1 | 2 Older >

Agreed to Anil Rathor.

by dharam shukla (View MyPage) on Oct 27, 2015 01:25 PM
Yes,it is very sad that no one raises there voices for Kashmiris Pandit, Pakistan Hindus, and there atrocites and
recently a Bajrang dal activitist hacked to death in Moodbidri in costal karnataka , Tasleema Nasreeen incident and
so on.This biased nature created hatred among the community.
Forward | Report abuse

Biggest enemy
by M S (View MyPage) on Oct 27, 2015 10:03 AM
The biggest enemy of BJP is the BJP itself. It is ruining its own 15K crore worth carefully crafted image. No one can
help BJP. Bhakts are often finding themselves in difficult situation defending the indefensible. I have seen many right
here in rediff forum changing their view about BJP and realizing their mistake about voting a weak pm to power.
Some openly admitting and others will show their unhappiness in the next election. If someone can help BJP gain
back its lost ground, it is BJP itself.
Forward | Report abuse

Whoo eez thiss Kaelkur Character ??????

by Nalin Kishore (View MyPage) on Oct 27, 2015 12:28 AM | Hide replies
Does he know anything about Indian ethos? Since when has he been in the US ? Why does he not write about
crimes against coloured people in US??
Forward | Report abuse

Message deleted by moderator

Message deleted by moderator. | Hide replies

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Re: Uncivilized Hindus are Fooling India
by Against Pseudos (View MyPage) on Oct 27, 2015 01:37 AM
The article criticises BJP supporters for not giving balanced views. I can see no balance in either the
author or you either.
Forward | Report abuse

Valentine's day
by aam admi (View MyPage) on Oct 26, 2015 10:54 PM
or vulgarity day. gradually lead to live in relationship and not beyond.
Forward | Report abuse

Dadri
by kaushal kumar (View MyPage) on Oct 26, 2015 10:48 PM
Kelkar Sahib, why don't you shift to these troubled ares for a couple of years and continue your wonderful writings
from there.
Forward | Report abuse

Just pathetic one sided writing

by Anil Rathaur (View MyPage) on Oct 26, 2015 10:44 PM
Ram kelkar : I pity this writer, no words on khasmiri pundits, no words who burnt godhra train, who killed brother of

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