Spurious issues are derailing progress

Unseemly controversies – from hijab to halal meat and the much uglier row triggered by a film which is purportedly a slice of history – unambiguously demonstrate that a section of India is itching to traverse the self-destructive path. We heard of the dreadful anachronisms of certain ideologies but a great nation like India cannot be left to be destroyed by such sinister designs. It is difficult to guess whether the obsession with such incendiary agenda is born out of foolishness or political design, what is not open to dispute is that such a criminal waste of time and energy will derail India’s march to progress. That a progressive state like Karnataka has become the happy hunting ground for trouble-makers is tragic. Political forces and the custodians of law must introspect and decide whether the drift on to this ruinous path be reversed or not. If this trend of nonsensical controversies influencing national imagination doesn’t stop immediately, India will lament. Whether a girl covers her head, while studying, is doubtlessly not integral to the larger cause of education. Whether the meat is cut in a particular way cannot be the cause for social unrest. The world is big enough to provide space to all kinds of people; different faiths and practices have coexisted for long and the priority is not to reshape those customs and personal habits at this critical juncture where far bigger challenges stare at us. While Covid-19 exposed the inadequacy of our heath infrastructure, unemployment is at an all-time high creating a dangerous situation for the youth who would require sustainable livelihood options. Less said the better about the evolving global scenario, rendered far more complex by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and growing economic insecurities. It is tragic and suicidal to invent trivial issues and drag the citizens and the institutions into that quagmire instead of constructively deploying all the resources to strengthen the nation and the society.

While the media has willfully abandoned its role as the watchdog, the political leadership has unfortunately failed to set the nation on the right path. Sadly, these ugly controversies have emanated from the Hindutva ecosystem. It is inexplicable that the ruling establishment is not perturbed by such incendiary agenda when they know social discord cannot be good for the economy and progress. In the post-Covid phase, the Prime Minister should have ideally marshalled all the available energies to address the challenges of economic revival and job creation. That sense of urgency is sadly missing. At the time of volatile international situations, when American supremacy is being challenged by the Russia-China combine and Pakistan is alleging a political toppling game, the government should have worked to evolve a national consensus on a constructive agenda instead of hunting for diversionary ploys.

No, there can’t be a debate on hijab and halal meat. That’s a criminal waste of time and energy, apart from the damages a vitiated social atmosphere invariably causes. The troubles fomented by hate speech, through organised religious meetings cannot be tolerated by any sensible government. How can the central and state governments remain mute spectators to brazen calls for arming citizens to teach other communities a lesson? Can the rule of law be subverted by such groups when a powerful government with such a big mandate is in place at the Centre? Can’t the discourse and agenda be fixated on development and welfare? Why is the leadership silent on illegal interventions of fringe elements that vitiate the national ambiance? Is he not worried about the image such ugly incidents create of India in the global comity? What image do we want – an India which is dedicated to progress and human values, or an India which is caught in the vortex of hate and discrimination? High time the Prime Minister seriously delved into the adverse consequences of such trivial issues and came out with a firm message, spelling out clearly that toxic discourse won’t be tolerated. India is run by the Constitution and no political agenda can work in contravention of that constitutional spirit of equality and justice. High time we got real.

High time we solved problems. High time we stopped inventing problems by digging up the past and wasting our energies in resolving them. The world is passing through a critical phase and India cannot continue to waste its energies on false issues.