India

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Religion and Politics

Padmini Arhant

The contemporary Indian politics having made a seismic shift from Indian secularism to fundamentalism premised on the radical ideology of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) espouses extremism translated in violence and polarization in society.

The political leadership as the head of the state exploiting religion entirely for personal and political gains in subversion of constitutional based democracy is the permanent legacy.

The religions across the spectrum – Hinduism in particular has been weaponized by the Prime Minister who is not a Hindu in religion, family name and practicality abusing the sacred religion Hinduism for political goals is blasphemy and accordingly reprehensible.

The Indian Prime Minister’s tenure is rife with religious confrontations not only pitting one religion against another viz Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism etc., the discrimination and contradictions are fostered within Hinduism fomenting communal divide and unnecessary hostility among Hindu majority in society.

Notwithstanding the BJP political party under the non-Hindu Prime Minister and non-Hindu Home Minister ruthlessly politicize Indian casteism creating further segregation, marginalization and disenfranchisement as they have successfully created with Muslim population regardless of them being the second largest demography in India.

The efforts are not limited to denigrating these religions, these two leaderships are engaged in isolating Sikhs in India and abroad.

The Indian Prime Minister abusing power authorized unlawful assassination of Canadian Sikh national in Canada in June 2023 and subsequently failed assassination attempt against American Sikh in New York later in 2023.

These two members i.e. the incumbent Prime Minister and Home Minister originating from violent backgrounds, corruption and criminality being their alma mater not barring murder of Judges presiding over the infamous Godhra communal massacre where these two leaderships in identical designations with the variation of them then heading the regional state of Gujarat were directly responsible for inciting, authorizing and covering up the killing of over 3000 innocent citizens including Hindu Gujaratis with majority among the victims being Muslims in the pogrom in 2002.

The Indian Prime Minister’s trajectory, the epitome of crony capitalism is exclusively committed to destruction of Indian youth present and future with unemployment soaring at official 6.6% and unofficial around 8 -10% is reflected in the outsourcing of Indian labor offshore.

The PM slogan – Make in India despite personal consumption of items imported from overseas with hypocrisy running deep individually is nothing more than political opportunism.

However, Make in India only aptly apply to religious violence in the North, North Eastern regions leaving the states vulnerable to further incursions from neighbors sharing the border with India.

The PM yojana i.e. plan rather than domestic job growth, local manufacturing etc., in addressing unemployment, the PM economic policy is to export Indian labor wherever possible including the war zone an estimated 100,000 to Israel to deprive Palestinians from any survival means via job opportunity.

Meanwhile, the foreign based Indian workers’ hard earned foreign currency remittance to Indian reserves, the only reliable source of deposits for foreign currency holdings in Indian monetary sector are squandered by the PM on controversial temple projects, personal residence and sports stadium named after self adequately explain the political perversions at the labor force and taxpayer expense.

The Indian PM not surprisingly did not shy away from using own mother making then 93+ old elder wait in ATM machine line under the pretext of his own mandated law to surrender Rupees 500 and Rupees 1,000 to the bank  to deceive the country on the demonetization debacle to appease those invested in eliminating cash economy and loyalty to national oligarchy.

The incumbent political trend is abusive and exploitative sparing none from Hindu Lord Sri Ram (much to personal and collective peril) to own mother and entire population including diaspora success claimed as personal credit in the endless glory hogging and power mongering disastrous two terms vying for third and lifetime appointment to the office.

The status quo ominously deny Indian youth and aspiring population the genuine natural progress and prosperity.

Indian PM, HM and politics leaving religion alone that is not meant for polity to mess with and refrain from making a mockery of democracy would be a refreshing change once and for all.

Padmini Arhant