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| Onslaught on Indian secularism | | |
India is a country of thousands hues and shades but what always has survived in this great land secularism. Barring some unpardonable but incidents like the one in Gujarat, the Indian secularism has survived all onslaughts inflicted by the narrow-minded bigots. When Indian secularism maintains its basic sanctity of protecting and respecting minorities, once in five year some lunatics and fanatics cause a definite damage which needs to be countered by all right thinking peoples. The blatantly communal content and the aggressive tenor of the hate speech delivered by Varun Gandhi, the BJP’s prospective candidate from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, marks a shocking low in electioneering and even in normal political discourse. It is difficult to imagine how anybody could give vent to such vicious sentiments and make an anti-minority tirade in crude idiom from a public platform. Even the rabid communalists on the fringe would think twice about that. If Varun Gandhi believed in what he said, it is a terrible comment on his creed and state of mind. It also brings shame to the political legacy that he claims by parentage. If he made the comments for the sake of electoral appeal or rhetorical impact, it would show the abysmal extent to which he can go. It will be wrong to dismiss it as a case of immaturity on the part of a young political aspirant. In any case, either way, he is culpable and guilty of violating the country’s normal laws and the election code of conduct, which penalises any attempt to create hatred and enmity among people. Varun Gandhi has claimed unconvincingly that he was misrepresented and the CD which shows him making the offensive remarks was doctored. As the Election Commission has rightly decided, it is for him to prove his claim. The commission has also ordered filing of a case against him and will keep him under watch during the campaign. He is also facing a fresh charge of distributing money to voters. The full force of law should prevail in such cases, because he has questioned the most basic principles of the Constitution and the country’s social and political set-up. The BJP, after initial hemming and hawing by at least one leader, officially distanced itself from the remarks. But it is not certain whether the party has completely disowned him. It should not prevaricate on the issue and should refuse parliamentary nomination for him. A candidate who makes even a moderate version of the remarks he made and takes such a militant sectarian posture should be an embarrassment to any party. If he is shunned, it will also be a lesson to other parties and candidates and a warning against crossing the limits of law and the norms of social and political life. A person like Varun Gandhi should have no place in Indian Parliament.
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