Reaching out in the name of religion : Road map of Hindu circuit
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 14, 2015 -

Reaching out in the name of religion.

This appears to be at the core of the recent decision of the BJP or the BJP led NDA Government to reach out to the North East States in the name of religion.

Nothing perhaps explains this better than the plan to link the temples of the region with the established pilgrimage circuit in Mathura, Vrindavan and Gujarat.

On top of this there is a plan to link the Vaishnav tradition of Manipur, the Shaiva tradition of Tripura and the three Shakti peeths-Kamakhya in Assam, Jayanti in Meghalaya and Tripura Sundari in Tripura with the overall pilgrimage circuit.

Nothing wrong in reaching out to the North East States, especially at a time when the people of the region are increasingly discriminated against in other parts of the country, but if religion is going to be used to trump the card of oneness then it is time for a rethink.

The Vaishnav culture is strong in Manipur, there is no doubt about this, but this cannot and should not be the plank to draw Manipur and the North East closer to the idea of India as a Nation.

This plan also does not sit well with the secular principle espoused in the Constitution of the country.

Why draw up a circuit in the name of a religion in the first place ?

And why should the Government throw its back behind this idea ?

Sounds more like a paucity of idea to demonstrate that the country is one.

And since when has Hinduism become the defining criteria of the country ?

More than likely that the BJP will not answer this question, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi should introspect and study why such questions have been raised at this juncture.

There is also the question of how well the plan of the Centre will go down with the people of the region.

No State in India has been defined or identified by any single religion till date.

No reason to believe why this should not continue.

Again where is the need for the Government to map out a Hindu circuit ?

The massive mandate that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi received at the hustings last year should not be interpreted as the people voting enmasse for any particular religion.

On the other hand, religion would have been the last thing on the minds of the voters and rightfully so.

What the North East needs is not a Hindu circuit but governance and accountability.

Far more fruitful it would be for Delhi to concentrate on how to ensure that the Look East or Act East policy will benefit the region and her people.

The Government should be studying why thousands of young students from the North East feel the need to step out and pursue their further studies in other parts of the country.

Religion may appeal to the heart but it is doubtful if drawing up such plans as a Hindu circuit will do anything positive for the poor and the deprived section of the people.

It would be so much better if the energy and thought capital likely to be invested for the Hindu circuit are instead diverted to fundamental points like roads and bridges, education and health care in the region.

This will go a long way in strengthening the BJP in the region.