Let local leadership take the lead in local disputes

The Gurugram mahapanchayat exercise could be a template for other areas

In a remarkable blend of pragmatism and social conscience, an all-religion mahapanchayat under the banner of the Sarva Khap Sarva Dharma Bhaichara and Samrashta Panchayat was held in Gurugram recently to reiterate communal harmony and peace following the recent disruptions of namaz in open areas. Over 360 villages participated in a rare show of solidarity among Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. Part of this was to ensure that Gurugram’s reputation as a leading hub for commerce remained intact. The panchayat leaders have rightly concluded that incidents such as the namaz disruption would affect business and reduce employment. In other areas where communal tensions have gone out of control, like Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh and Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, local industry has suffered. In addition to the practicality of maintaining public peace and harmony is a determination on the part of the mahapanchayat to prevent politicians from creating narratives to suit their own ends.

This mahapanchayat exercise could be a template for other areas where minor incidents often snowball into major conflagrations. In most cases, it is the police and not the panchayats which step in to contain the problem. Here we see a case of the mahapanchayat working to contain the problem before it flares up again. The Khattar government had earlier struck a conciliatory note when it said that the district administration would try and find suitable places for the namaz since most of the Muslims themselves were amenable to not holding it in public spaces.

The administration should encourage local leaders to find such inclusive solutions at a time when, under the guise of religious sentiment, lumpen elements have been running amok and creating communal disturbances, and tarnishing India’s image. Once they realise that they have no popular or political support, they are likely to fold up their tents and vanish. This is a positive development as much for Gurugram as for the spirit of inclusion.