The seeds of communism were sown in post-partition days when the social and economic situation became turbulent due to the large influx of refugees in West-Bengal.
Very significantly under the English rule, the system of education in India including Bengal was thoroughly overhauled. The medium of instruction was changed to English and such schools/colleges were mostly run by missionaries and western-educated Indians. In these educational institutions, Hindu religion, rituals and culture were taught to be looked down upon and new western-educated Indians learnt and saw only its distorted and darkened picturizations. This was all along aided and abetted by growing caste divisions in Hindu Bengali societies said to be resulting in the oppression of lower castes by upper castes. It became such an issue that in early twentieth-century Bengal, there was a movement against the so-called orthodox Hinduism and the Brahma dharma, as the liberal offshoot of Hindu dharma, was established. This happened mainly due to the resentment the modern and English-educated Bengalis felt against casteism and other so-called bad rituals and prejudices of Hindu religion and society. It was mostly confined to Kolkata, the home for this vocal section of the society.
Later, in the post-partition days when the social and economic situation became turbulent due to a large influx of refugees in West-Bengal, it was time for anti-establishment politics and left-liberalism. The seeds of communism were sown and in two decades the communists came to power. People were told that religion was the opium for masses. This was the time when Hinduism again appeared to be losing its sheen.
A Frankenstein has been created by opposition parties. They see this as their last and only opportunity to oust Modi.
At the same time, the Congress and the Communists formed an informal alliance against all Bhartiya notions of culture and religiosity, and secularism and socialism were incorporated in the Preamble to the Constitution. The left-liberals, media, academia and intellectuals were given all sinecure positions, scholarships, foreign trips and plum postings and they started propagating and teaching the cause of secularism such that it was ingrained into the Bengali psyche. It was facilitated by the Congress and the leftists who then dominated Bengal politics, media and academics.
True secularism is justice for all and appeasement for none. But, for the opposition politicians, it actually means appeasement of minorities because it is necessary for vote bank politics. To elucidate, let us analyse the controversy over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). CAA seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there. The point to note is that these refugees were citizens of undivided India and they were forced to flee their own homes for saving their lives after being subjected to atrocities on the grounds of religion. They are different from the migrants who left Bangladesh / Pakistan/ Afghanistan for economic reasons. Every Indian should, therefore, welcome the grant of citizenship to all such people, taking into consideration historical reality and the humanitarian aspect. It must at the same time be clearly understood that applications for citizenship in India by Muslims have been and will continue to be entertained under the citizenship act. Moreover, CAA has nothing to do with the current citizens of India or the rights they are guaranteed under the Constitution.
This is what the politicians, intellectuals and academics should put forward before the masses especially the Muslims who have been incited by this false propaganda that it is discriminatory against the Muslims in India.
This false propaganda has created unrest among the Muslims in the country. This is very unfortunate in the context of a prevailing slowdown in India when the whole nation’s focus should be on how to revive the economy. It is, however, unlikely that national interests will override short time political gains in the calculations of our opposition political parties.
Instead, a Frankenstein has been created by opposition parties. They see this as their last and only opportunity to oust Modi. They have incited the Muslims into destructive and Shaheen Bagh like protests. They have created false fear in their minds that their citizenship will be taken away. The biased media deliberately helped in spreading this false notion among the secular public and the Muslims.
They don’t or, perhaps, do realize that this is creating a fissure between Hindus and Muslims and it will not easily heal. But either way, they don’t care that this Frankenstein will destroy the peace-loving social fabric of the country.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Communism is for destruction and they will not be happy if every thing goes on peacefully
Wonderful and Informative article Sudeep
I always wonder why Bengali Hindus are so anti Indian anti Hindu and liberal.
Thanks
Secularism and socialism were surreptitiously incorporated into the constitution through amendments during Left-Congress bonhomie. Socialism as a form of governance has been thrown aside even by the so called communist countries who have incorporated capitalism into their system. Similarly Capitalism has also I corporates socialism through welfareism. But the question is Hindu religious faith has been systematically belittled and conservative Islam and Christianity have been promoted in the name of egalitarianism. But every faith and society has hierarchies ingrained into it in different forms which we gloss over using democracy and socialism. Secularism as practised today is nothing but appeasement politics. One can be a highly religious person and at the same time be tolerant to other faith which our Sanatan tradition advocates. One need not be irreligious to become secular. The tragedy is the left never questions radicalism of other faiths and the danger it poses for the whole world because of their exclusivity but always derides Hinduism which is tolerant of every faith and views.
Our constitution is secular and socialist from day 1 of its adoption. Addition of the words secularism and socialism in the preamble of our constitution through the constitutional amendment is just a reiteration of what the founding fathers of our nation believed in and discussed in the constituent assembly. Is it anyone’s case that we wanted to be theocratic state and Congress under Gandhi and Nehru thwarted this aspiration? For all their bravado talk, Hindu Mahasabha was running coalition governments with Muslim League in Sindh and North West frontiers. The people of India rejected them as leaders of independence movement as they belonged to elite. India was a conglomeration of princely states and there was no concept of nation till the independence movement started. We did not want to give full of Bengal & Punjab to Pakistan as was being seriously considered (strong provinces with a weak federal government). After having fought the British unitedly, India could not ask for a theocratic state & ask all muslims to go to Pakistan as most muslims were son of the soil. Muslims are at the bottom of the pyramid of India society along with SCs. I don’t understand what benefits of appeasement politics they have enjoyed (3% in civil services, low in socio-economic indices) except getting lip sympathy. I don’t understand how Hinduism is in danger. This is similar to Islam in danger narrative that has caused much of Islamic terrorism in the world. The right wing parties are just milking appeasement politics charge to consolidate Hindu vote bank to rule India of the next 50 years. This will cost of nation dearly in future. Gandhiji stood for socialism. The violence of communism and corruption of socialism, if removed, is the way to go in a country like India where there is a great gap between have and have nots. Making religion as a constitutional parameter for Indian citizenship and creating chaos is fundamentally wrong. Gar Wapsi is not an option as Hindu religion with its deep caste divisions and no one book, one god concept cannot think of accepting people from other religion. My take is make the rule of law supreme and all other things will fall in place.
Hi Sudip,
It has become fashionable for right wing writers to call everyone opposing communal politics as leftists, socialists and surprisingly liberals. Democracy that bestows, at least in theory, equal rights for every citizen of the country to elect a government of its choices itself is a great example of socialism. Reservations in jobs and educational institutions is an example of socialism. Direct benefit transfer that seeks to transfer money from one tax paying pocket to another is an example of socialism. Now please answer the following queries on CAA.
1. Can religion be one of the “Constitutional Parameters” for Indian Citizenship?
2. Why is Christianity (not related to any Indian religion) not an excluded religion like Islam in CAA?
All your analysis seems to be lot of hot air – high on rhetoric and low on substance.
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