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In his Sunday
Express review of Mani Shankar Aiyar’s just released
book: Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist --- Pratap
Bhanu Mehta writes:
‘Does secularism, however one defines it, elicit popular
enthusiasm and allegiance? If it does, what explains the
fact that we are constantly anxious about its future?
Why does it continually need to be defended against
politically potent opponents? On the other hand, if
secularism is in serious danger, what ground do those
who defend it occupy? If secularism is the position of
common sense morality in India, why does admitting
allegiance to it take the form of a confession, as if
there were something unusual about it? If it is not
common sense morality, what gives secular
fundamentalists confidence that they are right?’
The reason Mani Shankar Aiyar is bending backwards in
defense of ‘Congress Secularism’ is that he and his
Congress party both are specimens of classic hypocrites
---- as even though they swear by secularism, they had
never been able to do without all their insidious,
inhuman and anti-people communal practices of managing
their politics as well as state governance while ruling
India for over 40 years through clever manipulations and
subterfuge.
Thousands of communal riots over 4 decades are stark
testimony of their double-dealing. They are
over-reacting now, as they feel the communal Hindutva
brigade is stealing their thunder. The Brahmins in both
camps with their duplicitous scheming are now threatened
with Mandalites and Regionals gradually but forcefully
taking over state power as if drawn by the inevitable
pull of gravity.
In just one week of Maharashtra’s Congress Chief
Minister, announcing that his new government will not
stick to its election promise of granting full rights to
all slums that dated back to year 2000, and they will
start demolishing 2000 huts everyday, mysterious fires
have erupted in predominately Muslim hutment areas of
Bandra, Kurla and Jogeshwari. This is the new version of
Congress Gujarat. Thousands of Muslim families were
thrown out with nothing but the clothing had one them.
In Jogeshwari, timber and furniture trade of Muslims was
completely destroyed in the fire.
The
difference between Congress/NCP targeting of Muslims and
that of the extremist BJP, is the subtlety and finesse
that Congress has fine-tuned as an art-form as how to
attack Muslims after they had reaped the benefit of
their vote bank contribution to their victories. Their
very subsistence level survival is routinely wiped out
to keep them in perpetual dependence and poverty.
The
local Muslim MLA in Bandra, Baba Siddiqui, elected twice
in a row, has arranged big show of cooking community
meals on the site for the benefit of TV coverage, as if
Congress is ever helping out Muslims.
Even
the media is just reporting the gory details of the fire
and the victims without highlighting the criminal act of
organised arson, that is all of a sudden unleashed on
selected areas of Muslim majority.
Congress can very easily spread the rumours that it is
the handiwork of opposition. But those who have studies
Congress’s psuedo-secular ideology and its inherent bias
against bias, will not buy that excuse.
Congress had lost Muslim votes on its then Prime
Minister’s duplicity in Babri Masjid. It should have
learned the lesson. But alas old habits die-hard! All
they have chosen is to put out wordmongers like Mani
Shankar Aiyar to defend their bogus brand of secularism.
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