Conversion row and unnecessary furore

The opposition has tightened its stance on the conversion row and stalled the business in Rajya Sabha. All the opposition parties joined hands and have been busy conducting campaigns against the same at various places in the capital city citing that conversions are going to send a wrong message abroad. But the dubious stance of wasting government’s valuable time, resources is indeed going to do more harm than the former.

Before jumping into the actual issue it would be fair to address few questions-is it the first time conversions of any sort happening in independent India? Why have been all the aggrieved political parties least moved when the population of certain religious groups are doubling at an alarmingly quicker pace? Why have been certain conversions left unheeded and why sky starts falling in India when reconversions are tipped towards majority community? Why is the issue blown out of proportions and suddenly occupying centre stage on every platform- be it debate on the Prime time of news channels or the regular social get-togethers. Everybody is gaga over the same topic.

Reconversion into minority religion has hardly received any media attention and it is largely under reported or unreported many a times. It is understandable that Indian politicians been into the business of minority appeasement for more obvious reasons. As per the unwritten dictum in India any person voicing concerns of the cultural identities of the majority community is brandished as communal. With the 42^nd Amendment of Constitution of India in 1976, the word secular has been included into the preamble and has become the basic tenet of Indian governance. The Western concept of Secularism envisages the separation of religion and state and Indian definition of secularism is equal treatment of all religions by the state. By this definition government should recognise all religions and acceptance of religious laws has become binding on the state.  It implies that state enforces religious laws over riding the parliamentary laws and respect pluralism. As a result, a single or uniform can’t be enforced on all its citizens in matters of marriage, divorce, alimony and inheritance. Muslims have sharia based Muslim Personal Law. The concept of secularism in India is thus largely controversial and divisive.

Since the constitution of India hasn’t laid laws to define the relationship between religion and state. The whole issue of religion was highly messed up with Indian government. In India special legal and financial benefits are proffered on all religions except on the majority. The list of the double-stands seems endless. To complicate the issue further most politicians ride a pro-minority band wagon not out of the concern about their welfare but for votes. If governments till now were silent about conversions into minorities why are they so vocal about the recent ghar wapasi program?

It is astonishing that while ghar wapasi program has been discussed so rapaciously the proselytising and forcible conversions enabled by the million dollar foreign missionary organisations hardly evoked any response. The prehensile mass conversions patronised by former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is met with elegant silence and the national leaders of the party were never bragged either in the Parliament or by our vibrant media. But the conversion of 70 odd people in a backward district of Uttar Pradesh has disrupted the winter session of the Parliament preventing the passage of essential bills. While the media houses have been over enthusiastic to rake up and pull down the fringe majority activists the forcible conversion of majority into the minority in the North-East never caught media attention. The places of worship of the majority were ransacked in those regions and people were forcibly converted at gun point. While these alleged religious tales are reported by international media, Indian media has pledged silence. Governments till now had dubious approach towards the whole concept of religion in India but it is lamentable that the fourth estate, the invincible power that can steer and enlighten the nation is woefully biased.

Co-existence of religions has been the hallmark of India. A stable and a harmonious Indian society should march towards the path of progress and development. Hence instead of raking up religious issues and rocking the Parliament to force adjournment, politicians should put the concept of India first and allow it to function.

 

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