By TLI Staff
Symbolism matters a lot in any society — poor, rich, super rich or elite. This is the reason it has been exploited to the hilt by kings, rulers and politicians. Religious ideas and symbols have been used as a major rallying point to mobilise popular support. In our country, it has been a well-tested formula to win over the masses.
In Maharashtra, leaders have been organizing Ganeshotsav for ages to garner public support and bring them under one flag. So has been Durga Puja in West Bengal, Rath Yatra in Odisha and Ramnavmi in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, mixing of religion with politics or state was implicit but it is now on full display. The Narendra Modi-led BJP has taken it to a new high. It is visible everywhere. In tone, tenor, speech, policy and action. Not surprisingly, Modi’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month announced that tax department would ensure faceless assessment starting Vijayadashmi day falling on October 8.
There is nothing wrong in setting a date for a major government initiative but matching with certain religious calendar is certainly not good in a country which claims diversity as its strength.
How would a Hindu feel if the government deliberately announces an important policy on Eid? Certainly not good. Indian Constitution guarantees citizens right to practice a religion of his choice but does not allow the state to patronize one. It is in fact duty-bound to protect people when they are forced to observe certain religious practice.
India takes pride in being secular and home to all religions. Indians get a lot of respect globally for being a part of the tolerant society. While it is a settled fact that India is a multi-religion, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and an inclusive society, turning it extremist bodes very ill.
There is no doubt that cow is sacred for Indians. A century back, prosperity of a family was assessed on the basis of how many cows they had or how much rice they grew. The two still remain a key indicator of wealth in many parts of the rural India. This is the reason, cow is equated with mother. But, now the mother cow is being exploited for electoral politics. This is the last thing a real Hindu would resort to for any material gain.
The game of symbolism does not end there. Even the saffron colour, a symbol of ascetic life and that of renunciation, is not being spared. A saffron jacket has suddenly become the favored choice of many leaders participating in election rallies.
Using all these symbols to polarize the society and scare a certain community can certainly bring short-term gains but in the long-run everyone suffers.
Also read | Modi government fails to deliver on economy, yet again
Also read | Biggest ever crackdown on exporters finds fake GST invoice racket worth Rs 3,500 crore
Also read | Blame it on Millennials: Who are they?