The recent observations by a division bench of the Supreme Court that politicians should desist from pursuing politics mixed with religion, in order to curtail hate crimes and incidents, is most apt and appropriate. Yes, politics has been used by various political parties to promote their winning chances in elections and has often resulted in communal riots which could have easily been avoided. Even on Thursday when the Ram Navmi processions were taken out by devotees, there were reports of these being attacked by mobs allegedly belonging to a different faith. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and the authorities must probe these incidents and punish all those responsible for such acts. In a country so vast as ours where people belonging to different religions live, communal harmony is an essential element in order to keep both peace and strive towards positive development activities. Politicians have the tendency of pitting one religion against the other and the same is true so far as castes are concerned. In fact, religion and castes are the two sides of the same coin. The Election Commission as also the relevant courts must ensure that there is complete segregation of religion and politics. However, there are political parties which exist, whose very essence is religion, region or castes. The Muslim League and the Akalis were the two parties to begin with where it was evident that the followers of a particular religion were associated with these organisations in order to further their prospects in the electoral arena. The adversaries of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have also accused it of promoting politics where the underlining theme is religion and the emphasis on the Hindutva agenda is one way of gaining the trust of the majority community.
The BJP has been charged with pursuing divisive politics while its supporters without hesitation have always claimed that the Congress used to gain because it would appease minorities at the cost of the majority community. These are serious issues and in this political arena, the allegations of pseudo secularists versus pseudo-Hindus are often heard. Now who is what is something which people and political parties must themselves recognize, but it should be clearly understood that there is no room for politics of hate in this country.
The constitution empowers people to follow the tenets of the faiths they believe in. But it does not mean that religion should become the focal point of settling all issues of whatever nature. Politicians would always do things which suit their interests and it rarely matters to them that the discord in society is against the overall good of the country. Way back in 1990, a shaky Vishwanath Pratap Singh in order to save his government from being toppled, implemented the Mandal Commission which empowered the OBCs and many other castes that were allegedly deprived of their rightful place. The Mandal politics was sought to be neutralized by the BJP which at that point was supporting the V.P.Singh led government at the Centre. L.K.Advani took it upon himself to launch the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra in order to unite the Hindus. The Mandal versus Kamandal politics resulted in the fall of the Janata Dal government but established the role of caste and religion in our politics permanently and openly. In the past few years, religion-based politics and decisions have become more pronounced and have often led to an avoidable confrontation amongst communities.
At the regional level, parties identifying themselves with certain areas of the country have thrived. Political parties must come together and take a view on these serious matters. If the need be, the Election Commission could facilitate such a meeting. The main objective should be to ensure that politics of hate does not prevail over politics of harmony which alone is in the interest of our country and which alone can carry forward this great Nation to greater glory.