It is not surprising that with religion dominating Indian politics, communalism is rearing its ugly head in different parts of the country. A holy occasion like Ram Navami triggered unholy feelings in secular West Bengal and the Dalit factor has hit the streets in Madhya Pradesh. But the worst manifestation has been in Nitish Kumar’s Bihar since his severance of ties with the RJD and the Congress and joining the NDA. He professed to be prompted by the need for good governance. But official records present a murky picture. There have been 200 incidents with communal overtones since July 2017. There are deliberate attempts at political polarisation and social intimidation. When an RJD candidate won in the Lok Sabha bye- election in March, allegedly fake videos of Muslim youth shouting anti-India slogans were circulated in Araria. Armed religious processions were taken out through Muslim areas intimidating the minority community. Asansol in West Bengal took a cue from the Bihar example on Ram Navami day. Communalism has been rife in Bihar in Munger, Bhagalpur, Aurangabad, Samastipur, Shekhpura, Nawada & Nalanda. BJP, leader and Union Minister Ashwin Kumar’s son, Ajit Shaswar had to be put in judicial custody. His role in communal violence in an incident in Bhagalpur must have been glaringly blatant.
Nitish Kumar’s pre-volte face pro-poor stance has also been largely knocked out. The state government has foozled it in maintaining peace and order. In Bihar also, Ram Navami proved a cause for destabilisation. All this botches up Kumar’s development agenda. The central leadership of the BJP, the dominant party in the Bihar government should teach local thugs to exercise restraint. Flimsy excuses on grounds of fault-finding with the Constitution and such absurd demands as inserting the name of Lord Rama in it will vitiate the Indian polity. Solidarity is the key to progress.
