Adieu to Secularism

The communal policies pursued by the Modi regime in line with the Hindutva philosophy of RSS have made life miserable for minorities in India, particularly Muslims. This is amply proved by the laws enacted by the BJP regime. To begin with, the Modi government deprived 1.

9 million Bengali Muslims in Asam of Indian citizenship by promulgating National Register of Citizenship. It was followed by Citizenship Amendment Bill which sparked violent protests culminating in more than 50 lives mostly of Muslims. And now it has come up with The Waqf Properties Amendment Bill to regulate the management of properties and assets donated by Muslims to these entities over the centuries.



The bill seeks to formalize these donations with documentation raising the specter of government interference. The proposed inclusion of non-Muslims on waqf boards, judicial intervention in disputes previously handled by waqf tribunals, and the creation of a centralized registry within six months all suggest an intrusive role for the government. These changes threaten to alter the delicate balance that has allowed India’s diverse communities to manage their religious affairs with a measure of autonomy.

Labour colonies’ issues to be resolved soon: PA speaker The bill has already created a situation of confrontation in West Bengal, where three people have been killed by police firing and several have sustained serious injuries. It is likely to aggravate and might also erupt in other regions of the country. It is indeed regrettable that the international community particularly the USA and its western allies who cry hoarse from every convenient rooftop to pronounce their humanitarian credentials, remain oblivious and indifferent to communal policies pursued by Modi regime entailing blatant violation of human rights.

The apathy shown by US and its western allies in regards to the violation of human rights by Modi government in India and Indian Illegally Occupied Jummu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) is a classic example of their hypocrisy. It reinforces the notion that relations between states are determined by geopolitical and strategic interests of the concerned nations. The principles enshrined in the UN Charter, International Conventions, Protocols and human rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have no bearing on them.

Particularly the big powers defy them with impunity. They are used selectively by these powers to serve their own interests and to denigrate their opponents. That is the reason why global peace remains an elusive dream and some states violating human rights get away with their inhuman actions.

108-kanal state land retrieved The human rights situation in India was truly reflected in an opinion column published in New York Times recently. The article contributed by its Delhi based correspondent Lydia Polgreen unveiled the human rights situation in India besides unraveling reasons why the big powers take no notice of it. It said “Under Modi government, violence against Muslims in India has risen and is often unpunished.

His government has enacted laws and policies that target Muslims, including changes to citizenship rules that disadvantage Muslims and revocation of the special status of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region contested by India and Pakistan.” The opinion piece also hinted at the possibility of India saying adieu to secularism that was the bed rock of the Indian constitution notwithstanding the fact that the Indian apex court had declared unequivocally that while the constitution can be amended, its fundamental character cannot be altered. Minister visits afternoon schools, inspects facilities The ruling party BJP is the proponent of RSS ideology of ‘Hindutva’ which means India for Hindus – to the exclusion of minorities.

French political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, specializing in South Asian affairs, points out that the ideology of the RSS along with other Hindu nationalist movements such as the Arya Samaj and the Hindu Mahasabha, thought of Muslims, Christians and the British as “foreign bodies” implanted in the Hindu nation, who were able to exploit the disunity and absence of valour among the Hindus in order to subdue them. However, the majority of scholars believe that the RSS was actually formed to fight Indian Muslims.” That assertion has been proven right by the actions of the Modi government.

In fact India under Modi is already a majoritarian state. The situation created by the BJP government in India has not only been restricted to condemnation by the international community but even within India there has been a great resentment over the path being pursued by it. Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh, in an article published in The Hindu on March 6, 2020 in the backdrop of massacre of 50 Muslims in riots over the promulgation of the Citizenship Amendment Act put things in their right perspective.

He said “The truth is that the current situation is very grim and morose. Just in a matter of a few years, India has slid rapidly from being a global showcase of a model of economic development through liberal democratic methods to a strife-ridden majoritarian state in economic despair”. Multan commissioner inspects public welfare, development projects Like Hitler, Modi did not stop at targeting Muslims within India.

He extended the tentacles of its hatred against Muslims to IIOJ&K. The BJP in its election manifesto had pledged to undo articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian constitution. On August 5, 2019 Modi finally managed to fulfill his pledge by ending the special status of Kashmir.

Speaking at 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel at Kevadia colony on 31st October 2019 Modi said that with the abrogation of Article 370 from Indian constitution his dream of a united India has been fulfilled. He boasted that he had done within seventy days which could not be done in seventy years. The unilaterally ending of special status of IIOJ&K, its bifurcation into two territories, their inclusion in the Indian Union, turning the state into an open prison for its population and continued killing spree by Indian security forces are ranting testimonies of the nefarious designs of the Modi government.

With a view to change the demographic features of the occupied state, the Indian government also promulgated a domicile law which allows Indian citizens to become permanent residents of IIOJ&K, and also eligible for buying property and seeking jobs. No compromise on implementation of law: FDA The big powers like US need to realize that by encouraging Modi government to continue with its communal policies and not helping in the implementation of UN resolution on Kashmir they are consigning the region to perennial instability which ultimately might also harm their strategic and commercial interests in the region. Therefore Modi needs to be stopped in his tracks to avert the catastrophic consequences of his policies.

Malik Muhammad Ashraf The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].

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