For This Arjuna, Krsna is Communal

[Guest guest]

For this Arjuna, Krishna is communal and anti-'secular'

"But what Arjun Singh and the seculars forget is that the very

author of the Quit India movement was inspired by the teachings of

Krishna in the Gita. But what is useful to Arjun Singh is the name

of Gandhi, not what inspired him."

 

S Gurumurthy

 

A convention was held on August 8, 2004, on the eve of the 52nd

anniversary of the `Quit India' movement. It was a National

Convention on Secularism, not about the Quit India movement.

 

Secularism had not even entered India's political dictionary when

Mahatma Gandhi called for the Quit India movement. So what its

relevance was for the Quit India anniversary is not clear. But one

thing is clear. Two high profile persons, E Ahmed and A B Bardhan,

who were on the dais at the convention had nothing to do with the

Quit India movement and one of them, E Ahmed, additionally, had

nothing to do with secularism.

 

The All-India Muslim League, which was the mother of the Indian

Union Muslim League to which Minister E Ahmed belongs, had actually

opposed the Quit India movement. And so did Bardhan's party, the

Communist Party of India which called Mahatma Gandhi names and spied

for the British against the 1942 movement. Again, no one can

seriously contend except the `seculars' keen on Muslim votes that E

Ahmed's Muslim League is a protector of secularism in India. So much

for the mismatch in the cocktail of the convention on secularism on

the Quit India anniversary day.

 

Go further and see what Arjun Singh, the HRD Minister of India, said

at the meeting. He charged that the RSS had assassinated Mahatma

Gandhi, a charge repeatedly proved as a complete lie. Just months

back, the 'Statesman' newspaper had to apologise to the RSS for

alleging that the RSS was involved in the assassination of the

Mahatma in an editorial. But Arjun Singh knows that in politics,

repeating a proven lie makes it the truth. Any way, Arjun Singh's

words would have been music to the secularists' ears. Their respect

for him would have gone up for targeting the RSS, the eyesore of the

secularists. Those who know politics and Arjun Singh, however, would

know that his target was not the RSS, but Manmohan Singh. Manmohan

Singh! Yes. See what Arjun actually did beyond abusing the RSS. He

hoped that `the Prime Minister will take definitive action' against

the RSS. Poor Manmohan Singh. He has to deal with the very products

of the RSS, Vajpayee and Advani as opposition leaders and over a

hundred of them in Parliament.

 

So Arjun has got the applause of the secularists for demanding

action against the RSS. It is Manmohan who will get the flak for not

acting against the RSS. Arjun Singh has already made it plain that

he couldn't care less for Manmohan. He does not even report to him.

Like Natwar Singh who openly disregards the Prime Minister.

 

Let us come back to Arjun. If secularism means discarding all that

ancient India is known and respected for, Arjun Singh is eminently

`secular'. For, to him, anything that is special to India, be it the

Upanishads or the Gita, or the Ramayana or the Thirukkural, is

anathema. To save secularism he has banned the Upanishads, the Gita,

the Thirukkural and the like from the sight of our children in

schools. For, to him, they are pollutants which will debilitate

`secular' India. The Indian children are to be saved from the rishis

and sages of India.

 

This Hindu-allergic secularism, Arjun knows, will fetch votes. Mere

pampering of minorities will not do. But as compared to Veda Vyasa

and Krishna, Thiruvalluvar was lucky. The Thirukkural authored by

Thiruvalluvar, a great literature of ancient India, too had been

banned to protect secularism. But luckily the DMK intervened to save

the honour of Thiruvalluvar and along with it, its own honour.

However, Vyasa and Krishna were not so lucky. No one would dare

intervene on their behalf. In `secular' India's eyes they are

communal, dangerous to the minorities.

 

Krishna may be the legendary Arjuna's preceptor. But for this Arjuna

he is communal and anti-secular. Arjun Singh is `secular' precisely

because he regards Krishna and his teachings as anti-secular. But

what Arjun Singh and the seculars forget is that the very author of

the Quit India movement was inspired by the teachings of Krishna in

the Gita. But what is useful to Arjun Singh is the name of Gandhi,

not what inspired him.

 

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