Secularism - of the senile, and of the alert

"This - the serial bomb blasts at Coimbatore - could be the handiwork of RSS".

This is not the statement of the banned Al-umma's Chief in TamilNadu; it is not the assertion of the head of the Jehad Committee, the other banned outfit.

It is the judgement of Sitaram Kesri, the President of Congress(I). After the entry of `tapasvini' Sonia, Kesri is not sure whether the `I' in his Party's name stands for India, Indira, or Italian; but, he is certain that RSS blasted Coimbatore.

How does he conclude that RSS planted timer-device gelatines in and around wherever the BJP President L.K.Advani was scheduled to move around in Coimbatore on February 14 ?

"Because of the surge in favour of Congress, the RSS has panicked", he said. "The election results will throw up a surprise result and that is why the blasts were engineered".

`But the TamilNadu government has already banned two muslim organisations following the blasts', told the �journalists; "I have doubts on the issue" responded Kesri.

Kesri is certain it is not the banned Al-umma, not the outlawed Jehad Committee, which bombed Coimbatore. These two Islamic outfits were banned by the DMK government which is admittedly soft on the Islamic outfits, for suspected involvement in the gelatine attacks in Coimbatore in which over 40 persons were cremated alive. Kesri says that it is the RSS which played with the gelatines in the streets of Coimbatore �like urchins play with marbles, �and engineered the blasts. Within 24 hours of Kesri's statement comes the official statement of the Union Home Ministry that one of the �banned outfits had associated with a Dubai-based organisation.

For a State devastated by bombs, blood and death, Kesri seems to provide a comic relief. How is it that the President of as-yet-the largest political party in India has time for enacting such fun when everyone is moving at break-neck speed in the electoral theatre now on all over the country ?

Yes, nowadays Kesri has lot of time. He is the only head of a �Party �to stay in Delhi - even leaders �of �much �smaller parties �are �sought after for campaigning. But �his �party seems to gain a lot by stationing him in Delhi. They do not want �the `Sonia effect' to be offset by `Kesri �effect' �in the street shows of the Congress.

How feared within the party is his image, became evident �in the �abandoned �ad campaign of his party. The �party �first deferred, �and �finally �dropped, its ad �campaign �for �the simple reason that the party did not want Kesri's picture to appear �alongwith �that of Sonia. �Protocol �requires �that Party �President's �photo should not be �omitted, �but, �the party �was �convinced that his picture �with �Sonia's �would cancel �the perceived effect of the latter's. �Result, �the party �decided on an ad campaign dropping Kesri �and �Sonia, and displaying all leaders dead and gone !

"Kesri is senile; he is mad" say the BJP leaders. But �what they �fail �to understand is that there is a method �in �his senility or madness. With all his frustration and senility, he �would, for instance, never fault a Muslim �League �which partitioned �the nation. Even if the DMK Government �banned the Al-Umma and Jehad Committee for suspected involvement in the Coimbatore blasts, Kesri, sitting a thousand mile away, would �rule �out �their involvement. Why �? �This �is �the `secular' �political tradition in �post-independence �India. `Ally �with Muslim League and abuse the BJP' - has been �the plain �meaning �of �Indian secularism as �practiced �by �the secular parties.

Recall �what another Congressman - S.R.Balasubramaniam, �now in �TMC and a Central Minister and at that time in �Congress and �the leader of opposition in TamilNadu Assembly �- �said when �the �RSS �office was bombed in the �year �1993. �This gentleman �who �was as alert then as he is today - �and �not senile like Kesri - said that RSS men themselves could �have blown up their office and killed their own leaders !

So the secular credentials of Congressmen - whether they are senile �or alert - rests upon faulting the RSS and �the �BJP which �are perceived as espousing Hindu values �in �politics and society. Espousing Islamic values, or Muslim view point is secular, but, espousing the Hindu view point is not �just unsecular, �but communal. What the Congress Party had �long patented as secularism has now become the shared meaning �of secularism �in �Indian politics. Thus, all �parties, �other than �the BJP and some of its allies, share a broad �allergy to Hindu values.

The �`secular' credentials of a political party is not �just measured �by �its �distance from Hindu �values �seen �to �be symbolised �by �the �RSS �and the BJP, �but �it �is �equally measured �by �its nearness to Muslim �political �and �quasi-political organisations.

Congress �Party's �marriage with the �Muslim �League, �CPM's bigamy with Madani and Muslim League, DMK's friendship �with Al-Umma ��and ��the �different ��Muslim ��Leagues, ��Naidu's companionship �with �MIM, �Janata �Dal's �partnership ��with Shahabuddins �& �Shahi Imams, and �its �`Muslim-Yadav' �(MY) constituency �are all part of their secular credentials; �in fact, such associations prove their secular character.

Not �just political parties, some who are happy to be �known as intellectuals and even important newspapers approve �such perversity. �A �leading �newspaper went to �the �extent �of saying �that �it was the AIADMK which was �polluted �by �the `communal' �BJP - while many sensible persons thought �that it was the otherway round !

This is what the BJP challenges; so the chorus `BJP is anti-secular �and communal'. The arrival of the �`communal' �BJP in �TamilNadu justifies even the bomb blasts �in �TamilNadu. For, the TamilNadu Chief Minister says that it is because of the BJP, bombs are hurled in TamilNadu. So remove the BJP - not the Al-umma or the Jehad Committee - to restore peace !

Thus, �secularism �as espoused by all �leaders, �senile, �or alert, �means the same thing - how distant you are from �the RSS �and BJP and how close you are to Muslim Leagues, �MIMs, Shahi Imams, and Al-Ummas.

This perverse definition is what has made secularism to mean anti-Hindutva �when the Supreme Court says that Hindutva �is secular; �this is what has made uniform Civil Code �communal when the Constitution of India as well as the Supreme �Court urge �the �government to enact uniform Civil Code; �this �is what has made the demand for cowslaughter anti-Muslim, �when the �Constitution of India direct the government �to �secure such a ban by law; this is what has made the BJP instance on repeal �of �Art.370 anti-minority when the founders �of �the Indian �Constitution �made �it only �a �`temporary', �not �a permanent �provision in the Constitution; this is �what �has turned �the �BJP demand to expel the �foreign �infiltrators, anti-Muslim, �notwithstanding that the constitution and �the laws of India do not allow foreigners to stay in India.

Unless the enlightened Indian mind honestly debates what �is secularism and what is communalism, the present senile �view of secularism will continue to direct the polity of India.