If the country's chief justice is attacked physically in the premises of the Supreme Court of India -- someone needs to ask 'how crazy' are they willing to get.
What has Polarisation that got a bolster in the last decade in socio-political context done to Indians ?
Such acts of assault are not a sign of strength. It's a weakness and an act of cowardice.
On Monday, the Supreme Court of India descended into pandemonium after a 71-year-old lawyer threw a shoe at CJI B R Gavai during a hearing.
"India will not tolerate the insult of Sanatan Dharma," screamed the lawyer.
The phrase Sanatan Dharma links to Hindus as the world's "original religion".
This unprecedented and gory episode came a few weeks after the Chief Justice had dismissed a petition and made a controversial remark "go and ask the deity itself".
The petitioner had requested for court's intervention of a damaged Vishnu idol in the central Indian province of Madhya Pradesh.
"This is purely a publicity interest litigation. Go and ask the deity itself to do something now. You say you are a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu," the petitioner Rakesh Dalal was told.
Several lawyers had flayed the Chief Justice's remarks. But a refrain went around the right-wing circle that Chief Justice Gavai made the remarks because he was talking about a Hindu deity and would have never said something like these to Muslims or Christians.
As the world's largest democracy; India has been famous since 1947 when it got independence from British colonisers cherishing socio-political and religious tolerance and secularism.
Christians are the second largest religious minority after Muslims.
The hardline Hindu groups have time and again targeted them under the guise of so-called "not sincerely patriotic Indians" for Muslims and for foreign funding and forced conversions vis-a-vis Christians.
Justice Gavai's oral remarks in the court while dismissing a petition on merits gave opportunities to galvanise Hindu support base to fight for the rights and privileges of the Hindus.
Many say that the lawyer Rakesh Kishore could develop such courage because of indirect instigation by the right wing politicians and others.
The same 'Hindu hardliners' have even argued in the past that Christians and Muslims are originally Hindus who converted to “foreign religions".
This school of thought claims that all Indians are 'ideologically and from the perspective of nationalism of India' are Hindus.
"The Hindu Rashtriyata (national spirit) always keeps us together while accepting and respecting all diversities. We don’t have a conception of ‘nation state’. States form and decline, while nation remains eternal. We should never forget this foundation of our unity," RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said on Oct 2 at a religious event of the Sanghparivar fountainhead on Oct 2 at RSS headquarters in Nagpur.
"The attack on the Chief Justice of India is an assault on the dignity of our judiciary and the spirit of our Constitution. Such hatred has no place in our nation and must be condemned," Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said.
Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge said "Such mindless act shows how hate, fanaticism and bigotry has engulfed our society in the past decade"
The senior advocate was eventually suspended by the Bar Council of India and disciplinary action is expected. The episode has left BJP and even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi shell shocked and unhappy.
Modi condemned the act and said that he had spoken with the chief justice after the mishap and strongly condemned the incident.
He stated that "there is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society."
Taking to X, the Prime Minister said, "The attack on him (CJI) earlier today in the Supreme Court premises has angered every Indian. There is no place for such reprehensible acts in our society. It is utterly condemnable."
However, analysts say mere lip service cannot help.
"We condemn the attack on the highest judicial authority of India. The chief justice swears President of India and a practicing lawyer displaying such disrespect shows the hooliganism will triumph.
The fear of law and element of shamelessness is gone when it comes to talking about Hindu rights," says trader Ilyas Qureshi in Ahmedabad in Gujarat - the native state of PM Modi.
Agrees Ramakanto Shanyal in Kolkata (in east) and adds: "The radical Hindutva followers have developed a habit of playing victimhood. First, they will say Hindu Gods or Hinduism have been insulted and then they will attack the constitutional authorities and even public leaders.
This has been made neo-normal because political atmosphere is such".
Kerala Chief Minister and Marxist leader Pinyari Vijayan has directly blamed the Hindutva champions.
"The poisonous communal propaganda of the Sangh Parivar is what drives individuals to such dangerous mental states," he said.
The fact of the matter is RSS which has over 5 million active members was formed to provide unity and 'combat ability' to the Hindu community in order to build the Hindu Rastra (the Hindu nation).
There is a growing sentiment within the BJP and more importantly among a substantial support base among Hindus is that the “secularism,” as practiced earlier under Congress -- has been essentially “anti-Hindu".
This is the catch. Even CJI Gavai's remarks 'go to God Vishnu' is being seen through this prism.
Hence showing Muslims and Pakistanis in poor light at the world's sporting stage is also to appeal to that core voters in India - who grudges Muslims and who still grudges the Partition of India.
Recently Indian cricket team played three Asian Cup matches against Pakistan including the final but there was no customary shaking of hands. India team even did not take the winning trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chief.
The two Asian neighbours fought four day mega conflict in May.
Hence, it can be stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not being novice when he tweeted after the Asia Cup win that India's three-zero win in the just concluded Asia Cup cricket extravaganza was like Operation Sindoor.
"Operation Sindoor on the games field. The outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers," Modi said in a post on X.
The reference to Operation Sindoor and connecting it with Pakistan's loss to India in the Asia Cup title alluded to a fact - sports or military, India humbled Pakistan rather convincingly.
The BJP and Modi have always banked heavily on the spirit of Hindutva (literally “Hindu-ness”).
And that's why CJI Gavai's remarks on Vishnu was countered so effectively in social media. And the jingoism has replaced nationalism to such an extent that a 71-year-old learned lawyer behaved in such manner in the court.
Social worker Naushad Ali in Guwahati says --
"Reasonable Indians should not be surprised that such an episode happened in the Supreme Court of India. Over the years in the garb of Hindu assertiveness; the fundamentalist forces have encouraged "intolerance, communal violence and also use of brute force and bulldozers. Earlier Muslims and other minority people ad Dalits have been attacked. Civil society people were targeted and today that has graduated in the form of throwing shoes at the chief justice of India".
Rome may not be built in a day but a 'tolerant India' was certainly being killed gradually.
Church in a Naga village
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India’s constitution, drawn up in 1950 after independence, enshrines
-- India as a secular democracy.
** However, the BJP has been accused of passing policies and pursuing a religiously divisive agenda, which seeks to make India a Hindu state.
** There is now growing debate on the "tide of intolerance".
** And often Muslim activists, journalists and civil society leaders have been attacked.
***
Other allegations:
Hindu nationalism in India is writing an epitaph for the country’s experiment with multi-ethnic secular democracy.
** Under PM Narendra Modi, some institutions allegedly weakened.
** It's true, Information is censored and done so very effectively frustrating media, opposition and Modi-bashing army of Sickulars.
** Protests suppressed.
** Not long ago, Modi’s "main rival" Rahul Gandhi was disqualified bya curt order.
In 2023, "polarisation" was so sharp in Indian politics that the parliamentary session was the least productive since 1952.
ends
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