Making religion a force for unity : Advocating tolerance
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 28, 2015 -
Lopsided idea of majority and minority.
An anathema to the idea of India as a Nation and President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the Nation on the eve of Republic Day reflected the reality that has been dogging India for long.
Preserving and promoting goodwill between diverse communities was central to the address of the President and this is significant when right wing parties have been sparking one controversy after the other by raising issues like ‘ghar wapsi’, advocating the idea that Hindus should have 10 children so as to increase the population of the people practising the faith with some Ministers passing inappropriate comments about the minorities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be making all the right noises but there are some elements who have been fishing for trouble or advocating one faith over the other in the most crude fashion.
This goes against the spirit and idea of an India, a country which is home to numerous communities and people practising different faiths.
No religion teaches violence but there is always the danger that this may be politicised and India has seen enough blood being spilt in the name of religion.
Communal violence rests on the premise of hate, intolerance and distrust and when religion is abused and misused it can create havoc.
A point worth taking to heart and thinking over, seriously at that.
Right time to remind the Nation and while President Pranab Mukherjee has had his say and expressed concern over an issue which should worry everyone, it remains to be seen what steps the BJP led NDA Government has up its sleeves to tackle the issue.
At the moment it may be an issue, but if left unattended it could become a menace and nothing would be more worrying when religion is used to unleash violence and sideline a community.
Secularism. This is one of the foundation stones on which rest the Constitution and all political parties swear by the Constitution of the country.
However it is a different matter whether the ideals of secularism are sincerely adopted and practised by the numerous political parties in the country.
Canvassing in the name of religion is not something unheard of whenever election time comes. Pitching one community against the other in the name of religion is again something which major political parties seem to have mastered.
Everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten the negative impact of politicising religion and India has seen enough bloodshed in the name of religion.
Perfecting the art of creating division in the name of religion and India comes somewhere close to this ‘art’.
The essence of the points which the President sought to deliver during his speech to the Nation on Republic Day should not be allowed to go waste.
Religious intolerance should have no place in a country which gave Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism to the world.
It should also be remembered that there is a reason why the architects of the Constitution of the country deemed it fit to include the word, secularism in the Constitution of the country.
Religion should ideally bring peace and not be a cause for conflict and the onus should be borne by everyone.
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