Hoardings with 'Jai Shri Ram' written on them welcomed Trinamool Congress Party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as she descended into Goa amid protests and black flags. A deliberate attempt was being made to ruffle her with a slogan that was used consistently as a symbol of protest in Bengal to oppose everything that Mamata stood for.
The slogan Jai Shri Ram in Bengal may have got steady popularity in the TMC-ruled State, but the conscious effort to polarize votes based on Hindu nationalism had failed because in Bengal it was considered to be not only regressive but unworthy of Bengali cultural inheritance. The TMC supremo, however, remained unflustered and sidestepped the political demarcation attempted via the Jai Shri Ram slogan by smartly raising the pitch for the unity of people across religions. She announced that she was a Hindu to the core and that her party TMC stood for Temple, Mosque and Church.
Last week, politicos were exchanging barbs over Goddess Durga. Goa Forward's working president likened Mamata to the Goddess. Kiran Kandolkar's reference was the 'real Durga' from Kolkata needed to descend on Goa to destroy the government "run by Bhasmasura". This prompted an instant reaction from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that as Goans "we will not like Shantadurga being compared to a human being". The CM stressed the fact that Goa stood out because of the religious harmony, but was also quick to add that the arrival of other political parties in Goa, especially the Trinamool Congress, could upset the social harmony in the coastal state. Senior BJP leader Michael Lobo gave the issue yet another dimension saying "every lady in Goa is a Durga. When they want to stand for their rights they can all become Durgas."
In a peaceful State of Goa, politics has always kept a reasonably safe distance from religion, although the majority-minority community divide often played its part in the background. Goa is not attuned to politics on religious lines involving Gods and Goddesses. On the contrary, it is here that leaders visit temples, churches and mosques and seek blessings irrespective of their religious background. That’s been one hallmark of Goan politics.
The 2022 election campaign has been drifting largely on communal lines, and divisive politics is steadily becoming the norm. Parties are seen invoking religion, Gods and Goddesses in a calculated attempt to tap into vote banks, caring less for the social fabric and religious amity of the State. By stoking communal sentiments, a dangerous precedent is being set that threatens to divide people and tear apart the peace.
Elections will come and go, much like leaders. There will be winners and losers, but at the end of it all, Goa will be the biggest loser for it will be robbed of its peaceful ‘one-people, one-state' identity known all over. We hope this election doesn't become a battle between religions, and we also hope that parties will uphold and respect all religious values and sentiments and contest in the true spirit of elections.
