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| Congress accuses BJP of indulging in divisive politics | | Motivated Charge | | Rustam
Jammu, Feb 17: We are a democratic and secular country. This is what the Congress and similar other formations claim. It is difficult to believe them considering what has been happening in the country under the present Congress-dominated dispensation in New Delhi. The Congress also says that it is a genuinely secular and democratic party and that it hates and denounces "divisive" politics. Besides, the Congress also dismisses the BJP as a communal and accuses it of indulging in "divisive" politics.
Only the other day, some Congress leaders from Jammu & Kashmir contemptuously dismissed the BJP as a "divisive" outfit. "The divisive politics of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has always weakened the integrity of the country…It weakens the unity and integrity of the state and the country…The BJP believes in the politics of divisiveness which creates hatred amongst people of different faiths and religions and is dangerous for the unity and integrity of the country, " they said.
"India is known for 'unity in diversity' across the World, as the people of different faiths live in peace and harmony by mutual respect to the each other's religion, which is the soul of the strength of the nation. The Congress is the only party which has its presence in all six lakh villages in the country because of its firm belief in the principles of secularism and commitment to the service of people…People must remain cautioned about the communal and divisive forces in the state…All the three regions including Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have to stay together and live in peace. The Congress has its strength and is a vibrant force in all regions and those who want to see Congress to emerge more stronger have to strengthen it at the grass root level for a better future of the people," they also said.
It has become customary with the Congress leaders to express views which have no basis. They air such views believing that the people would appreciate them and repose confidence in such leaders who masquerade as secularists and democrats but practice divisive politics. In other words, they take the people for granted believing that they do not understand anything. This is not the case. The people of the country, including the people of Jammu province, who have suffered enormously owing to the divisive and communal politics being played by the Kashmir-based parties and their supporter Congress party, are not that fool. They understand the implications of each and every word the Congress leaders utter as well as the implications of their politically and communally-motivated formulations.
Hence, no one would buy the Congress secularists advance while dismissing the BJP communal and divisive. On the other hand, everyone with a secular and liberal outlook would pooh-pooh and ridicule all of their claims and formulations saying it is the Congress party which is "communal and divisive". BJP veteran and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitely appear right when he says that the "Congress is the biggest communal party in India" and bemoans that the "law-makers (read Congress ministers) have become law-breakers". He said so the other day while reflecting on the "defiant" Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid's views on religion-based reservation and his negative attitude towards the Election Commission of India.
Congress leaders say the BJP is indulging in divisive politics, posing a danger to the unity and integrity of the country and creating hatred between the communities. It appears to be a false charge. The fact is that it is the BJP which has been opposing religion-based reservation as well as the policies of the Congress-dominated UPA Government designed to create schism between the communities and within the communities. It is the BJP and similar other outfits which have been opposing the Congress saying its policies have all the potential of creating an environment that could help the disintegrationists and votaries of two-nation ensure another "communal partition" of the country. It is the BJP and similar other outfits which have been opposing the Congress saying it is "subverting the constitution" and "weakening" the constitutional and autonomous institutions in its desperate bid to woo the minorities and get their votes.
No one can really question the BJP's standpoints, notwithstanding the fact that it itself committed various acts of omission and commission when in power between 1998 and 2004. On the contrary, one can safely accuse the Congress party of taking recourse to divisive politics and practicing communal politics. Take, for instance, what it did at Jaipur and what it has been doing, particularly since December 27. The Congress made common cause with fanatics and created a situation that forced Salman Rushdie to cancel his Jaipur trip. Rushdie was to participate in Literary Festival. The episode brought shame to India and lowered the status of India in the eyes of international community. On December 27, the Congress announced 4.5 per cent sub-quota for Muslims within the 27 per cent quota for OBCs and defended the onslaught on Indian democracy and secularism to the hilt. On January 9, Law Minister Salman Khurshid announced in UP that the Congress would enhance the sub-quota for Muslims from 4.5 per cent to 9 per cent (read 33 per cent). Besides, he and AICC general secretary and in-charge of UP Congress Digvijaya Singh sided with the slain terrorists saying the 2008 Batla House (Delhi) encounter was a fake encounter. They even castigated the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for not endorsing their stand.
The critics of the BJP are not right. They should remember that it was the divisive politics that the Congress indulged in 1947 that created for the nation in Kashmir a very serious communal problem. But this is just one example which indicates the dangerous fall-out of what the Congress did in Jammu and Kashmir more than six decades ago. One can refer to scores and scores of similar other examples to prove that it is the Congress which made the Kashmiri Muslims believe that they are a race apart. The Congress did it by granting a special status to Kashmir under Article 370 on the ground that it was a Muslim-majority area. The Congress should look into itself and refrain from accusing the BJP of indulging in divisive politics. For, such accusations irritate the people. |
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