With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the helm in India, the saffron brigade is under the illusion that it will convert the entire Indian nation to Hinduism in a few years from now. No matter how aggressively they try to portray themselves as the sole representatives of the entire Hindu community, the truth is otherwise. Interestingly, it is the Hindu legislators who time and again prove to be the biggest hurdle in their efforts of changing India into a Hindu state.
In a bid to evade international pressure, the BJP-led government has asserted that it has nothing to do with the conversion campaign but every sane Indian is aware of the authenticity of those claims. It is well known that BJP is the political wing of the saffron brigade, a group of extremely communal, right-wing Hindu parties. The few incidents of religious conversion that have taken place over the past few weeks are condemnable, constitutionally, legally, politically and socially. By stating that BJP is not responsible for these conversions, the party leaders are implying that they are least likely to take action against the saffron brigade activists involved in such illegal acts. Had the BJP not been in power, its claim would have been justified. In its current position, it cannot distance itself from this issue by paying a mere lip service.
Whatever the saffron brigade’s agenda might be, it cannot be disputed that constitutionally, India is a secular country. Every Indian citizen, whether a Muslim, Hindu, Christian or of any other religion, has the fundamental right and freedom to practice his religious beliefs, without disturbing religious beliefs of others. Thus, each time a saffron brigade activist calls for converting India into a Hindu state, he/she violates constitutional and legal principles of the country. Each time the saffron brigade activists force and/or lure followers of other religions to Hinduism, they break the very principles of the Indian law. By turning a blind eye to their activities, BJP is refusing to live up to its political and social responsibility of governing the country, as it is supposed to in accordance with legal dictates laid out in the constitution.
Irrespective of whether BJP is responsible for this conversion campaign or not, being at the helm it has a moral duty to stop the right-wingers from pursuing such an agenda. A few odd statements from party leaders against this campaign are not sufficient. Legal and political action should be taken against the extremists who are hell bent on destroying the secular credentials of the country.
In any case, it is very unlikely that the Hindu extremists could realize their dream of a Hindu state. Indians are a religiously conservative people. It is not surprising to come across several places of worship of different religious communities within a range of few kilometers in India’s capital city. Even during the times of communal strife, nobody witnesses a drop in the number of worshippers gathering for Friday prayers and the same goes for members of other communities.
In Hinduism, there are numerous castes and sects. It is due to the manmade caste system that Hindus belonging to the lower castes embraced other religions to gain social equality and respect, which they could never have gained while remaining “untouchable” in the Hindu community.
The agenda behind saffron brigade’s conversion plan may be to lure them back to Hinduism. It may be noted here that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati is a Buddhist. A large number of lower caste Hindus have over the years embraced Buddhism to escape the stigma attached to their castes. They also constitute a significant percentage of the total votes in the Hindi-speaking belt.
Recently, while announcing his conversion agenda, a saffron brigade activist said that converts can choose their own castes and all would be treated equally. He probably deliberately stated this to “convince” others that there would be no discrimination and/or practice of untouchability against newly converts. What these activists tend to forget is that there still are separate water wells in Indian villages for different castes. Even in cities, where poor and people of less income reside, there remains a separate area for residence of Hindus belonging to the lower castes. One can only say that the saffron brigade is living in a fool’s paradise and chasing a mirage.
