After assuming power in May 2014, the NDA Government announced December 25 (Christmas Day) as Good Governance Day because this day coincides with the birthday of former prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. There were muted protests from the Christian-majority states of the North East but since it was not made mandatory for the state governments of those states to function on that day, the protest did not gain momentum. However, there is a disaffection among the Christians of this country that this is an infringement into their religious rights. It is well understood that the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) is the force behind the BJP and produces a disciplined cadre which works for the success of the BJP in every election. But the RSS is also positioned as a Hindutva brigade whose aim is to safeguard the tenets of Hinduism in this country. One of the core beliefs of the RSS today is that the cow is holy and should not be slaughtered for meat. A section of the RSS that calls itself the gau-rakshak (saviours of the holy cow) are actively implementing the anti-cow slaughter ban in BJP ruled states and also trying to impose the same across India. Such decisions are problematic in a country as culturally and religiously diverse as India is, where beef is a part of the diet especially of the tribals of North East India. The BJP would have to reconsider the wisdom of imposing such arbitrary ideas without taking into consideration the sensitivities of its minority population.
The other faux-pas is to declare Good Friday as Digital India Day. Many call it a coincidence since Good Friday need not necessarily fall on the same day of April 14 every year. But for the Christians, this is too much of a coincidence. Fortunately the Modi Government has rescinded its decision and exempted the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland from the purview of this observance and allowed the states to observe Digital India Day on a date they consider appropriate. This sensitivity is well appreciated and it has happened because the local BJP members from the above three states have intervened. The BJP needs to be more inclusive in its approach and to induct more members from different religious persuasions so that its Hindutva agenda is stalled. India must remain a country that is united despite its diversity. This diversity should also be reflected in the membership of all political parties.
