First it was Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti who spouted the infamous statement, “Vote for Ramzaade not Haramzade” (Ram’s children and not illegitimate children). Now it is Sushma Swaraj’s turn to become virulent and suggest that every Indian keep a copy of the Bhagvad Gita. Looks like there is a contest in the BJP about who can get more publicity. Swaraj has not been in the limelight in recent times. As Minister for External Affairs she has been second best. The first place across several visits to global destinations has been usurped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Perhaps the lady is actually letting out steam. The last outburst that Swaraj made was in 2004 when she threatened to shave her head if Sonia Gandhi was made Prime Minister of India. Since she was sworn in earlier this year Sushma Swaraj has been conducting herself with grace and dignity and playing second fiddle with rare equanimity. Now, suddenly Swaraj has turned strident yet again. Is it a case of NDA ministers having too much time at their disposal and using that to boost the BJP’s Hindutva image?
That Swaraj is prescribing the Bhagvad Gita to psychiatrists and to ordinary folks as an antidote to the plethora of mental problems is naivety. There is more to depression and schizophrenia than a non-spiritual, materialistic lifestyle. Earlier mental illnesses were difficult to detect and people who suffered from it and their families were in denial. Today those with mental health problems are more open to seeking professional help. Besides, life is so fast paced and stressful today that mental health problems have become even more common. While spiritualism may help to an extent, no holy book has all the answers to life’s myriad problems. A person’s state of mind at a given time is influenced by so many external and internal factors. We live complex lives and require complex solutions to resolve our problems. The BJP’s propensity to link every aspect of modern science to Hindu philosophy and to discredit other belief systems does not bode well for the country. It looks like the women ministers in the NDA cabinet are in a game of one up(wo)manship, each one trying to upstage the other, with the exception of Minister of State for Commerce, Nirmala Sitharaman who takes her work seriously and with uncanny pragmatism.