Communalism

Politics Over Hate Speech Ban in Karnataka https://www.newsclick.in/politics-over-hate-speech-ban-karnataka Ram Puniyani | 09 May 2023
In its manifesto for the Karnataka polls, the Congress party committed to ban organisations that “spread hatred against communities on grounds of religion or caste”. In that sense, it equated the Peoples Front of India, banned by the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, with the Bajrang Dal, an offshoot of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, itself an arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, of which the BJP is an arm.

There was a mini-storm in response, as the BJP made it a major issue in the last days of its election campaign.

There were many incidents between 2006 to 2008 that highlighted the warped priorities and violent actions of Bajrang Dal “activists”. For example, Naresh and Himanshu Panse (a VHP member), were accidentally killed while making bombs, and a kurta-pyjama and a false beard were found near the site. It hinted that the attempt was to pin a blast on to a Muslim perpetrator, and, by extension, create an opportunity to blame the entire Muslim community for the damage it would cause. There have been other such instances, where the finger of suspicion has come to rest on a member of the right-wing brigade, though more often than not, the role is denied by the Bajrang Dal. In January 2019, another worker of the outfit, Yogesh Raj, was arrested for the murder of inspector Subodh Kumar in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. The incident involved allegations of a cow having been slaughtered. In the recent Ram Navami violence in Bihar Sharif, Kundan Kumar, also of the Bajrang Dal, has been arrested for fomenting unrest and violence.

What about the PFI? Spreading hate and consequent violence has been the hallmark of their activities, too. Such organisations may operate in the name of religion but are intolerant and resort to violence.

As society shifts towards orthodoxy, even secular parties are afraid to criticise communal forces that use religion as an instrument to capture or retain power. One can only remind them that the Taliban’s dictates for women may sound terrible, but oppression, even when measured in degrees, causes suffering and torment—opposing jeans for women and imposing the burqa are on the same spectrum of tyranny, even if the degrees vary.