Ram Sethu

The controversy surrounding the Sethusamudram project has developed into a huge issue thanks to our ’secular’ politicians like Karunanidhi. Apart from the fact that the Sethusamudram project will be a huge threat to the natural fauna such as coral reefs in the region, it is also a matter of faith of millions of Hindus who believe the bridge to be built by Lord Ram and his army of monkeys. The DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister claims that there is no ‘Ram’, an expected stand from an atheist but not one that was expected from a self-proclaimed secularist or was it?

Successive DMK regimes have always belittled religion (read Hinduism). While dishing out incentives to the minorities, the party has dedicated itself to following the British Raj’s policy of divide-and-rule for Hindus based on caste. Karunanidhi is a shrewd man. He is no political novice and that can be seen in how he divides the people based on religion and then takes advantage of Hindus’ weakness of caste. But more on how politicians exploit the caste system in subsequent posts.

A ’secular’ person like Karunanidhi would never bad-mouth a particular religion, one would think. But degrading of Hinduism and doubting the authenticity of Ramayana and Lord Ram has exposed Karunanidhi. I have no doubt that Karunanidhi (or for that matter, any other politician) would not have dared to raise his voice if this had been a case involving the minorities.

The repercussions of Karunanidhi’s (and the Central government) insane and untimely words are already noticeable. There have been major protests throughout India and today, a bus from Karnataka to TN was burnt (the passengers were asked to come out, fortunately) and Karunanidhi’s daughter Selvi’s house in Bangalore was attacked by fanatics. However, these mindless actions cannot be condoned just as Karunanidhi’s hurting claims cannot be.

The deleterious effects of this issue will be the following…

• Further divide among North and South Indians. Northies already have a notion that all South Indians are DMK supporters and therefore, atheists.
• The media will, as always, try to project the issue in such a way it stirs up the communal tension among Indians.
• Accusation against the BJP for using this controversy as an opportunity to widen its vote bank (but at least one party stands up for the rights of Hindus.)
• Increased hatred among people of different faiths and regions.

In no other country, will the majority be treated like scum by the politicians. In no other country, will the majority be treated as second-class citizens. But it happens in India but we will maintain our dignity because we Hindus are tolerant and respectful of other religions. But let’s just say there’s a threshold limit to everything.

Hurting the Faith

I begin this blog with my criticisms of the Congress government’s secular credentials. The so-called secular party of India is by far the worst among the evil and corrupt forces that threaten the peace and stability of this nation.

I am an ardent fan of the late Indira Gandhi, whom I consider the best leader India ever had since independence. A valiant, courageous and plucky leader that she was, her death signaled the end of the last of India’s charismatic leaders. She would now be turning in her grave if she was to witness how her Congress Party, the oldest in India, has been stooping to low levels of ineptitude.

The party that was formed to fight against foreign rule continues to look up to the Italian Sonia Gandhi for guidance. The party that boasted of leaders such as B.G.Tilak, B.C.Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Nehru, and Indira Gandhi could not come up with an indigenous leader and this reflects the sad state of affairs in the grand old party of India.

The claim that Congress is secular is as ludicrous as Sonia’s claim that she is an Indian. Amidst the controversy surrounding the Sethusamudram project, the Congress’ insistence that there is no evidence to prove the existence of Hindu God Ram not just shows Congress’ hypocrisy but the intentional hurting of the faith of millions of Hindus exposes the party’s unsecular credentials. The Sethusamudram project is merely a prestige issue for the Dravidian government in Tamil Nadu. But more about the fallacies of the Dravidian politicians in my later posts.

Hindus are tolerant as people of no other religion are and that is both the weakness and the strength of India. However, political parties such as the Congress take advantage of the meekness and play a dangerous game in the name of secularism that threatens to derail the nation’s foundations of equality and freedom.