On 28 January 2025, the well-known Calcutta every day ‘The Telegraph’ carried an article entitled ‘Rub your eyes: Hindu Rashtra Structure to be unveiled at Mahakumbh on Basant Panchami’. The seemingly innocuous inside-page article, speaks volumes not solely of the insidious but meticulous plans that are being made, but additionally of the calculated makes an attempt to destroy the secular character of the nation and in the end the sanctity of the Structure of India.
The information merchandise highlights {that a} 501-page doc, ready by a 25-member committee of students, attracts inspiration from the Ramayana, the foundations and teachings of Krishna, Manusmriti and Chanakya’s Arthashastra. The so-called ‘Structure’ based mostly on the Hindutva ideology, is predicted to be unveiled on the Mahakumbh on Sunday 2 February when the Hindus rejoice ‘Basant Panchami’. Whether or not it should really happen is anybody’s guess; the painful reality nonetheless, is that nobody from the ruling regime, who swear by the Structure of the nation, has had the braveness to say that very considered propagating such an concept must be thought to be anti-national!
The committee which has put collectively this Structure is named the ‘Hindu Rashtra Samvidhan Nirmal Samiti’ and apparently consists of so-called students of the ‘Sanatan Dharma.’ Swami Anand Swaroop Maharaj, patron of the committee, informed reporters on the Mahakumbh, that their goal was to make India a Hindu nation by 2035. (their unique plan was to make India a Hindutva- nation in 2025 – the centenary yr of the RSS- however their plans failed miserably when they didn’t get the required numbers within the final Parliamentary elections- to make any undemocratic Constitutional adjustments).
The important thing provisions within the proposed ‘Structure’ embody:
· Necessary Navy Training: Each citizen of the Hindu Rashtra shall be required to bear army training.
· Harsher Punishment for Theft: The structure proposes stricter punishment for theft and different crimes. (apparently there isn’t any phrase on ‘corruption’ – which is the forte of the ruling regime)
· Tax Exemption for Agriculture: The tax system shall be revamped, with agriculture being utterly tax-free.
· Unicameral Legislature: The Hindu Dharma Parliament shall be a unicameral legislature, with members generally known as Dharmik Sansads.
· Minimal Voting Age: The minimal voting age has been fastened at 16 years, with solely these belonging to Sanatan Dharma allowed to contest elections.
· The Rashtradhyaksh, the chief of the nation, could be chosen by three-fourths of the elected members of the legislature
Swaroop reiterated, “Human values are within the nucleus of our Structure, which has been ready by 14 students from north and 11 from south India. Our Structure just isn’t in opposition to different religions however those that are discovered concerned in anti-national actions will face harsher punishment than what’s awarded to them at present…. Over 300 amendments have been made within the Indian Structure within the final seven many years however our scriptures are the identical for the final a number of thousand centuries. There are 127 Christian, 57 Muslim and 15 Buddhist nations. Even the Jews have Israel. However the Hindus, whose inhabitants is over 175 crores internationally, haven’t any Hindu nation.”
The writing has been on the wall since a very long time now: the assaults on the Christians in 1998-99, in numerous elements of India and significantly within the Dangs District and different areas of South Gujarat grew to become Worldwide headlines. The Gujarat Carnage in 2002 when greater than 2000 Muslims have been murdered, many extra brutalised and even raped and 1000’s of others having to go away ceaselessly a spot they as soon as known as their dwelling –was maybe the blackest chapter in submit –impartial India.
Through the years, and significantly since 2014, when the BJP seized the reins of energy as soon as once more – each effort is being made to denigrate and demonise the minorities of India and particularly the Muslims, the Christians and the Sikhs; they’ve additionally been derogatively known as ‘terrorists’, ‘converters’ and ‘khalistanis’, respectively. There’s a systematic transfer to color the minorities as ‘anti-national’! Personnel and properties of the minority communities are frequently focused
The Judiciary –and specifically, the Supreme Courtroom – has been one bastion of hope for the minorities, given its elementary position and accountability in defending the letter and the spirit of the Structure. Sadly, within the latest previous, the Judiciary at numerous ranges appear to have abdicated this non-negotiable responsibility – of impartiality, objectivity and of not siding with any specific religion and/or ideology. There are details and different indicators to substantiate this!
Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a sitting decide of the Allahabad Excessive Courtroom is a basic instance!
On 8 December, he addressed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) authorized cell, in Allahabad Excessive Courtroom on ‘Uniform Civil Code–A Constitutional Crucial’. He argued in favour of a Uniform Civil Code and demanded for adjustments within the Muslim private legal guidelines. His speech smacked of blatant ‘majoritarianism’ saying that India ought to operate in accordance with the needs of the “majority,” that means Hindus! Justice Yadav assured the VHP gathering that because the Ram Mandir was constructed in Ayodhya after years of “sacrifices by our ancestors,” the Uniform Civil Code would additionally grow to be a actuality quickly. “Did you think about seeing the Ram Mandir with your individual eyes? However you probably did see it. Lots of our ancestors made sacrifices for it, within the hope of seeing Ram Lalla freed and witnessing the development of a grand temple. They couldn’t see it however did their half and now we’re witnessing it.”. Likewise, he stated that the nation would get a UCC. “That day just isn’t very far,” he emphatically declared. On 17 December, he was summoned by the Chief Justice of India to look earlier than the Collegium relating to his remarks. A month later, he writes to the Chief Justice, saying he stands by his remarks which, he maintained, didn’t violate any precept of judicial conduct.
The remarks of Justice Yadav are simply the tip of the iceberg. There was the case of a Christian Pastor who had died, being denied the suitable to burial in his native village in Chhattisgarh by the village panchayat. After knocking in any respect doorways in his State, his son needed to search justice from the Supreme Courtroom. On 27 January, the two-member bench of the Supreme Courtroom delivered a cut up verdict within the case. It directed that the physique of the pastor be buried at a Christian graveyard 20 km away and requested the State administration to supply all assist. Because the physique was already within the morgue for nearly three weeks, the judgement didn’t really feel it applicable to refer the matter to a bigger bench.
Justice BV Nagarathna, nonetheless, strongly upheld the secular character of the Structure. In her path-breaking judgment she asserted that, “It’s stated that dying is a good leveller and we have to remind ourselves of this. This dying has led to divisiveness amongst villagers on the suitable to burial. The appellant says there’s discrimination and prejudice,” She famous that the Excessive Courtroom accepted a suggestion that displaced the practices being adopted within the village. “The dying of the individual has given (means) to disharmony because it was not solved by the village panchayat. Panchayat has been taking sides which led to the case in excessive court docket and Supreme Courtroom.” She pointed to the police affidavit that claims a Christian convert can’t be allowed burial on the village grounds. “That is unlucky and violates Articles 21 and 14 and furthers discrimination on the grounds of faith. The State can not deny equality earlier than the regulation. How might ASP Bastar give such an affidavit and what was the authority? it betrays the elegant precept of secularism.” Sadly, nonetheless, the opposite Justice thought in any other case and the Christian Pastor needed to be buried far-off from his village.
On 27 January, Uttarakhand launched and commenced implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which most authorized and Constitutional specialists discover extremely discriminatory. It’s clearly geared toward concentrating on sections of the minorities- significantly Muslims and Christians. The regulation, amongst different issues, doesn’t problem patriarchal provisions in Hindu civil regulation, as an illustration, on the guardianship of a minor boy or single lady going to the daddy, and solely after him, to the mom. Surprisingly sufficient the regulation won’t be relevant to Scheduled Tribes, with the CM saying, “We’ve got saved our scheduled tribes talked about underneath Article 342 of the Structure out of this code in order that these rights may be protected!” So the query being requested is how ‘Uniform’ is that this code?
There’s a lot else occurring everywhere in the nation with regard to the rights of minorities and to the reason for secularism. The tribal Christians in Manipur have been struggling since Might 2023. In UP, a Christian Pastor and his spouse have been convicted underneath the State’s draconian anti- Conversion regulation while a number of others are languishing in jail. In each one in all them – there’s completely no proof of any wrongdoing, simply that they have been conducting prayer conferences or having a Bible of their home. The anti- conversion legal guidelines in a number of states dominated by the BJP, not solely violate Article 25 enshrined within the Structure is but additionally a blatant try and discriminate in opposition to the minorities. ‘Ghar wapasi’ which can be a conversion train, doesn’t come into the ambit of this regulation. Amit Shah in his election marketing campaign in Maharashtra promised that such a regulation could be launched in that State too!
The listing is limitless certainly! Mobs stormed the gates and the grounds the Jesuit –run Andhra Loyola Faculty in Vijayawada, demanding that they’re entitled to make use of the non-public premises as per their whims and fancies. The Excessive Courtroom of Gujarat lately upheld the choice of the Gujarat State for a centralised course of for recruiting lecturers and principals in spiritual and linguistic minority instructional establishments. The UP Chief Minister on Republic Day publicly asserted that ‘Sanathan Dharma’ is the faith of the nation! Then there’s the Waqf (Modification) Invoice 2024 which is meant to be tabled in Parliament throughout this present price range session; A united opposition, nonetheless, has slammed the federal government on the passage of the draft report on the Waqf Modification Invoice saying they’d no say, and all their amendments have been defeated, and that solely the amendments introduced by the ruling get together have been taken up and regarded. With scary regularity one reads about how minorities are focused for what they eat and put on, see and browse!
Mental and social activist Professor Apoorvanand writes an incisive and hard-hitting article in ‘The Wire’ (29 January 2025). The article entitled, ‘The Loneliness of Being Christian in India’, is replete with incontrovertible details. He emphatically states, “however as human beings, we should ask: what sort of nation is it the place solely Christians have to fret about assaults on Christians, and the remainder of society stays deaf to their issues? The prime minister of India points statements about violence in opposition to Christians outdoors India, however in India, Christians are being attacked and arrested for having and distributing Bibles, and church buildings are being focused. Throughout Christmas season, he visits church buildings and meets spiritual leaders, however lets the blood of Christians circulation. Are solely Hindus allowed to evangelise their faith in India?
What Prof. Apoorvanand states with angst, is an indisputable fact! There’s a technique of their insanity, there isn’t any doubt about it! The rot, everyone knows, begins on the high! At stake is the secular character of our nation and the way forward for democracy in our nation, which is being destroyed systematically! We should get up now and act with different like-minded men and women!
Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/author. Contact him at cedricprakash@gmail.com.
