India is still shining

By: Niraj Aryal

Secularism

People can burst out laughing or can get amazed if someone declares India as a secular state. The Indian leaders of the 21st century, Lal Krishna Advani who led the demolition of Babari Mosque and Narendra Modi, the man behind the Gujarat incident where Muslims were brutally killed certainly prove the hypothesis of Secular India wrong.

But the 14th general election came as a bolt from the blue especially to those who burst out laughing when someone decaled India as a secular nation.

Verdict

Who could have ever imagined, an Italian born woman single handedly won election at a time when BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the Hindu fundamentalist party was in the power?

The American style of election campaign that the BJP adopted which revolved around only secular figure Vajpayee in the BJP ended by breaking hearts and stunning their followers.

But question still remains as to whether the people’s verdict is the answer to the 21st century so- called hard-line Hindu philosophy which still exists in India or it is a verdict to the renaissance for the Congress Party of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, which ruled India for almost 45 of the 57 years since independence. What ever be the reason, the fact that the fabrication of Indian (Hindu) conservative society always demands a powerful leader who comes from a traditional political (high class) family, which means stability for them, always plays a vital role. And the madness of treating them as gods and even worshipping them has been a part of Hindu culture which could be the cause of verdict.

Cost

Temporarily sidelining the Hindu hard line philosophy (For example: erection of a temple at Ayodhya in place of Babari Mosque is just one of them) could have cost BJP what could have been otherwise a grand victory . Projecting Vajpayee’s image still could not match up with the Italian born Mrs. Sonia alias Antonio Maino Ghandi, widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi(s/o late Indira Ghandi and grand s/o of Jawaharlal Nehru).

Not the End

Certainly this could be the end to the political career to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but not end to the Hindu hard-line philosophy.

At a time when someone of the likes of Bal Thakrey, (leader of Shiv Sena at Maharashtra) who is known for hatred and disgust against other religions is considered a prominent leader in Indian politics, there is not all lost for the Hindu hardliners. A classic example of xenophobic Hindu BJP.

Difficult Days ahead

In this context Sonia’s days at the office is likely to be more difficult as the signals are read well coming as it does from the Hindu hardliners front. Mrs Sushma Swaraj, minister in the Vajpayee’s cabinet’s declaration that if Sonia becomes prime minister she would resign from the upper house could be the beginning of big threat to the India’s so called matured democracy.

Whereas the result of the 14th general election in India has oozed out strong signals to western democracies where most of the countries still do not allow foreign born to occupy top position in their government. But how difficult it will be for an Italian born Mrs Antonio Maino Ghandi to run a government in a country of one-sixth humanity, and above all almost eighty percent of them being Hindus.

Like initial days for Coca Cola, Pepsi or even Mac Donald’s were difficult it would be a mountain to climb for Sonia and her Congress party in the 21st century holy India.

Indo-Nepal Relation

Now coming to our homeland the ill-fated country, Nepal it is really easy to predict what will be the future of our relations. Our internal problem, the Maoists insurgency and the Bhutanese Refugee crisis (solutions of both lies south of the border) will remain unsolved as India has an immovable foreign policy towards her so-called closest neighbor.

But, India is still shining.

The author can be reached at niraj_aryal@hotmail.com

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