PM Modi’s silence on Akhlaq murder in 2015 broke his global momentum
What we can say for sure is that if the moderate leadership does not challenge the fringe, it continues to morph, expand, and subsume the mainstream. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal were once fringe; today they are “sister” organisations. Sanatan Sanstha, Samadhan Sena and Abhinav Bharat are fringe today. Let’s watch this space.
The Dadri incident is a chilling turning point in our politics. It marks the rise of Hindu supremacist mob militancy that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won’t unequivocally condemn or disown. It will criticise the killing, but qualify it in a half-dozen ways. You want to see how, refer to my friend, BJP MP and RSS intellectual Tarun Vijay’s article in The Indian Express. He says the lynching was abhorrent to the spirit of Hinduism and India as Mohammad Akhlaq was killed “merely on suspicion”, and that his daughter was so right in asking, what if it were proven that her father had not eaten beef, would someone bring him back?
This implies that if he had indeed eaten beef, and if the mob had clear evidence, retribution would be fair. The point should have been, so what even if he had eaten beef? It isn’t illegal in Uttar Pradesh (cow slaughter is illegal), and where it is, there are stern laws to deal with offenders. Let’s join the dots.…
SEE ALSO:
- Mamata Banerjee Attacks PM Modi Again, Calls Him ‘Biggest Riot Monger’ in Country (May 12, 2019, India.com)
https://www.india.com/lok-sabha-elections-2019-india/mamata-banerjee-attacks-pm-modi-again-calls-him-biggest-riot-monger-in-country-3656676/ - In ‘Hindutva lab’, Digvijay Singh outmatches Sadhvi Pragya (May 13, 2019, Asian Age)
https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/130519/in-hindutva-lab-digvijay-singh-outmatches-sadhvi-pragya.html - Muslim outfit opposes SIMI ban, raises questions about investigations into Pune terror attacks (May 18, 2019, Indian Express)
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/muslim-outfit-opposes-simi-ban-raises-questions-about-investigations-into-pune-terror-attacks-5734572/ - 2 Terrorists Shot Dead In Encounter With Security Forces In J&K’s Pulwama (May 18, 2019, NDTV)
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pulwama-encounter-terrorist-killed-in-encounter-with-security-forces-in-jammu-and-kashmir-s-pulwama-2039306
