Dr Muhammad Khan
Prominent Indian newspaper ‘Hindustan Times’ has reported nomination of, Yogi Adityanath, as the new Chief Minister of the Uttar Pradesh, the biggest India state, having a population of over 200 million. Nomination of Yogi Adityanath as the CM has raised alarm among the minorities of UP, which were already facing discrimination and cruel treatment at the hands of Hindu majority. ‘The Hindu’ a renowned Indian newspaper while highlighting the personality traits of Yogi Adityanath says, “The chief minister-designate also runs an Extremist organisation, Hindu YuvuVahini, which has been accused of instigating communal tension.†He is very well-known for anti-Muslim sentiments and is a great proponent hardliner Hindutva ideology.It is worth mentioning that, already there was no dearth of extremists among ruling class in New Delhi and in all states, where there is a BJP rules in India. Another extremist from the Federal Government at New Delhi; Monohar Parrikar, the former Indian Defence Minister, has taken over as the new Chief Minister of Coastal State of ‘Goa’ just three days back. BJP has overwhelmingly won the elections in UP with 2/3 majority after almost 14 years. The Hindutva ideology has played a prominent role in wining these elections, where BJP did not give ticket to anyone minority candidate. This election was contested and won on the basis of Hindu extremism with RSS work force behind it. During the elections, all minorities, mainly Muslims and Christians were alienated and forced to vote for BJP at gun point. Prime Minister Modi himself and his RSS made speeches which were pro Hindutva and anti-minorities, especially Muslims, constituting approx. 20% of the overall UP population. The Muslim representation in the UP Assembly has also plunged reasonably as a result of this election. By now, the CM designate, Mr Adityanathmight have taken the oath of his new assignment (he was scheduled to take oath on March 19, 2017). It is said that owing to his fiery and firebrand pro-Hindu and anti-Muslim speeches Adityanath is highly popular among the RSS and BJP leadership besides, his fellow MPs, who won the recent elections in UP. Calling himself as a missionary and social workers, he has been opposing the allotment of land for the Muslim graveyards and power supply to the Muslim festivals. Besides, he is the mastermind of the GharWapsi; the forced conversion of Muslims and Christians into Hinduism. As a MP in Indian LokSaba, Adityanath has sponsor a number bills in Indian Parliament. The prominent ones include; banning the cow slaughter and changing the name of country, from “India that is Bharat†to “Bharat that is Hindustanâ€. He is the supporter of Trump’s policy of banning the Muslims entry into US. In one of his earlier statement he even said that, “If given a chance, we will install statues of Goddess Gauri, Ganesh and Nandi in every mosque.†Besides, he is on record saying, “If one Hindu is killed, we won’t go to the police, we’ll kill 10 Muslims and if they take one Hindu girl, we’ll take 100 Muslim girls.†This was the strategy, the incumbent Prime Minister;Modi was following in the Indian state of Gujarat, as a Chief Minister and demonstrated his RSS agenda during anti-Muslim riots in 2002. So, Mr Adityannath is on his way to be the next Indian Premier? It is worth mention that, Prime Minster of India, Mr Modi while addressing an election campaign in UP at Fatehpur Sikri has publically used communalism remarks to woo Hindu voters, who ultimately brought a historical success for the BJP in the state election. It is disturbing that, no political party in India is seems to be very critical to these developments, taking place in the Indian political setup and Indian society.
The factual position in India is that, the Muslims are facing massacres and humiliation, Christians are subjected to vandalism of Churches and rape of elderly Nuns and Sikh community is being suppressed in the name of Khalistan and other separatist sentiments.
Besides, the Scheduled castes and other communities are facing different intimidating policies at the hands of cruel and barbaric upper Hindu classes. Religious minority groups in India are consistently subjected to inhuman and intolerant treatment at the hands of growing violent and extremist Hindu majority. Violence and denial of constitutional rights are the usual tools with which Indian minorities are preyed by extremist Hindu majority. The hate campaigns are becoming frequent and violent as evident from lynching of Muslims over Beef controversy, blackening the face of Muslim parliamentarians in IOK, desecration of Sikh religious book erupting into widespread unrest in Indian Punjab and violence against Christians and Dalits.
In the past few decades, India is witnessing rise of political movements with a broad range of Hindutva centric ideologies, striving for a radical change, often creating problems for other religious minorities mainly Muslims and the Christians. With a landmark victory of BJP in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in March-2017, despite criticism over the BJP agendas speaks of growing trends of radicalisation in Indian society towards Hindu extremism. This radicalisation and extremism has already started impacting a large India population, who are demonstrating the trends of terrorism.
With the type of extremist leadership like Yogi Adityanath, taking over all states of India one by one, the proclaimed Indian character of secularism has almost died-down. There are no signs of secularism anywhere in the India. The BJP’s entering into the power house of New Delhi in 1990s with a moderate Prime Mister; AB Vajpayee was indeed, paving the way for the hawks and extremist Hindutva leadership under Narindra Modi. Today Indian minorities are facing worst humiliation crisis in their own homeland. The Modi led BJP has crossed all the records discrimination and disgraces in India.
International community; the scholars, media and the civilised global society must raise a voice against what is a happening at the Indian political scene, which is gradually engulfing the Indian society, a rapid transformation from secularism to radicalisation and extremism. Already, the world is facing terrorist organisations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, which have threatened the global peace. Should the new class of Hindutva followers; the BJP and RSS be allowed to play havoc in the already fragile South Asia? The rising trends of Hindu extremism would be worst then the ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Since, there is no state for ISIS and Al-Qaeda but, India is acting as a pivot and its political leadership under Modi as the proponent of Hindutva extremism in Indian society.
