G factor haunts Cong :- Daily Pioneer - Dina Nath Mishra, Feb -2- 2003

The recent political resolution of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has to be seen in the background of the party's debacle. The CWC had taken a stand against 'Hindutva', but simultaneously, it took care not to be seen against 'Hinduism'.

These two terms 'secularism' and 'communalism' have acquired the power of political veto and made 'Hinduism' and 'Hindutva' completely untouchable. The great 'Ram Mandir debate' brought 'secularism' and 'communalism' into vigorous discussions in all public forums. By the end of the preceding century, 'secularism' and 'communalism' were rendered non-performing political assets. Two prime ministers in mid-90's owed their terms to secular cementing; Vajpayee lost due to the untouchability of 'communalism' within two weeks.

For the first time in the Indian electoral history, non-performing political asset of secularism has suffered heavily in Gujarat. The resolution states: "The Hindu dharma has nothing to do with the narrow, bigoted Hindutva propounded and propagated by the RSS, the BJP and the VHP that distorts the very culture, values and legacy..." It resolved to combat "all forms of communalism and religious fundamentalism." The resolution described secularism as the battle for rescuing India's religious traditions, teachings and practices from the "forces of bigotry and hate."

One can see how the Congress is combating all forms of religious fundamentalism by conveniently forgetting the release of Islamic terrorists by the J&K government, co-authored by the Congress itself along with Mufti Mohd Sayeed. The tendency of ignoring violence by Islamists has always been there in the secularist camp.

During the freedom struggle, there were a number of Hindu stalwarts, including Mahatma Gandhi, K M Munshi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Purushottam Das Tandon, Dr Sampoornanand and others. But as Nehru controlled the reins of power, they were either pushed back or not tolerated. Nehru was never comfortable with anything connected with Hinduism. He did not like prayer meetings and Bhajan recitals of Mahatama Gandhi. The legacy of taking Hindus for granted has continued with Congress. The Gujarat phenomenon forced the Congress to let Hinduism in, technically, to its resolution.

Even Supreme Court has used the words Hindu, Hinduism and Hindutva in civilisational sense. It has pronounced at least six judgments admiring the usage of these words. "Hindutva symbolises tolerance of all other religions."

Christianity and Islam are not in anyway to be clubbed with Sanatana dharma of which the Hindu dharma has become synonym. The religions of "The Book", "The Messenger", "The Only God", divide the humanity into believers and non-believers. The history of the last two millenniums is full of extermination, discriminations, deprivation and humiliation of non-believers.

The India-centric civilisational continuum was based on Sanatan dharam, which instinctively harmonises any possibility of conflicts arising out of angularities of pluralism.

The Gujarat electorate caught the Congress red-handed as a willful defaulter in vote-bank politics of secularism. Its approach towards the Muslim vote-bank was a case-study in itself. They were advised not to come to the offices with a traditional topi on their heads.

I will quote the most hated Praveen Bhai Togadiya from his latest interview published in 'Organiser'. A question was put to him: "A VHP leaflet printed in the report of an independent fact finding mission, led by various intellectuals, mentions that Hindus should not be taught by Muslim teachers, or have business transactions with them. Do you subscribe to this view"? To which he replied "It is only a propaganda by the Hindu 'secularists', who have a long history of defaming the VHP and other Hindu organisations. Hinduism has no concept of kufr. It has a scientific approach towards the development of the mind and body of the individual, along with the family, the society, the nation, and ultimately, the world in perfect harmony with each other - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Hindutva is not a religion but a synonym for nationalism in our context."

When asked again, "Don't you think Muslims of India have contributed a lot to the nation in all walks of life?" He replied "Yes, Muslims have contributed to the civilisation as well as the culture, but they have also contributed Somnath, Mathura, Kashi, Kashmir valley, Pakistan, attacks on Indian Parliament and Akshardham. Muslims have also contributed to the youth who are willing to be cannon fodder in the name of jehad." Here, Togadia is caught in generalisation and over simplification of complex Islamic problem from which vast majority of Muslim masses, who have practically nothing to do with, too are suffering.

But secular fundamentalists would do better to address the civilisational concerns of Hindutva. Pitting Hindutva against Hinduism would not help.