The Narendra Modi-led BJP government which is trumpeting the 8th year of its rule were pounded by the Gulf and other countries over the remarks made recently against Prophet Muhammed by party spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal. The BJP has attempted to find itself an escape route by clarifying that the views expressed by the two were not of the government but were made by “fringe” elements. The party, however, ended up making a mockery of itself since Nupur was seen in the company of the prime minister on numerous occasions and has been followed on social media by top party leaders including Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. Fringe elements, but close to leadership, is that the way to read it?
The subsequent clarifying statement issued by the BJP smacks of deceit and is nothing short of a desperate attempt to salvage a situation that has threatened to not only smear India’s relations with the Gulf countries but also tarnish our image considerably globally. The BJP statement read: "During the thousands of years of history of India every religion has blossomed and flourished. The BJP respects all religions. The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion." India's Constitution gives the right to every citizen to practise any religion of his or her choice and to honour and respect every religion, it said.
Interestingly, the rejoinder has no mention of the controversial utterances of the two functionaries, neither is there any apology from the party leadership, nor is there any legal action. Paying lip service to the Constitution and merely stating that all religions will be respected makes no sense. The world is watching and has reacted angrily sending out a clear message that it is not going to tolerate such malicious attempts to make religion a target.
If the government truly meant what it said about upholding the rights of every religion, then by its yardstick FIRs should have been registered and arrests made. Ironically, it was only when the Islamic nations reacted did the government choose to distance itself from the controversy and preferred to parrot lines from the Constitution without sending out any apologies. We find it hard to understand why the police did not swing into immediate action. In Goa, the police have acted on one unverified complaint against a pastor of a Christian denomination on charges of “forced conversion” and followed it up with an immediate arrest. That’s not all. After bail was granted, the government decided to hand over the case to the Crime Branch. We can’t forget the times when it took protests to convince a government to hand over cases to Crime Branch.
The expulsion of the two office-bearers is only a face-saving move from the BJP that is intended to shift the blame. Back in Goa, we only hope the current controversy is an eye-opener for those playing divisive politics in the name of religion. The propaganda about forced religious conversions 60 years after Goa’s liberation is threatening to shake the foundations of a State that is deeply rooted in religious harmony. For peace to prevail, those who try to provoke a debate bordering on religious hatred must first be brought to book.
