Hegde’s ideas of secularism, religion & caste are warped

The cat is out of the bag. Union Minister of state Ananth Kumar Hegde has announced that Modi government will soon change the Constitution. He categorically stated that the BJP had ‘come to power to change the Constitution and would do so in the near future’. It has been a part of the RSS agenda right from the time the Constitution was framed. The Sangh has always wanted to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra.

But there are two major roadblocks in the way of the game plan. First, the Constitution, as the RSS claims, does not reflect Indian ‘civilisational values. Second, it promises to establish India as a modern and secular nation wherein all its citizens, irrespective of faith and caste or creed, are granted equal rights. Both these ideals, modern and secular state with equal rights for all, militates against the concept of Hindu Rashtra.

Hindu Rashtra is nothing but a little more modern version of Manuwad wherein equality of citizens is not permissible. Indian civilisation, as per Manu’s principles, is based on caste hierarchy wherein equality is denied even to a large section of Hindus themselves. Such a state would be inherently anti-modern and anti-non-Hindus, which the Indian Constitution describes as minorities.

If you look back at what various RSS outfits have been doing during the past three years of Modi rule, you would find a pattern that resonates with the RSS idea of Hndu Rashtra. Una incident of Gujarat for instance, where, Dalits very much in Manuwadi fashion, were publicly flogged for skinning cows; veneration of cow to an extent that people doing even cattle trade are being lynched; changing school text books to glorify Hindu rule beyond reason; Prime Minister publicly giving support to yoga in a fashion as if it is the panacea of all health issues; and ultimately appointing a yogi as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh---- all these are clear symptoms of a Hindu Rashtra.

Ironically, all such very consciously engineered events are against the Indian constitution in letter and in spirit.

So, what Hegde has stated about the Constitution is not a new idea at all. K N Govindacharya, a diehard RSS ideologue, for instance, in an interview to National Herald on October 2, 2017 had admitted that ‘’the Hindtva brigade is silently working on its plan to rewrite the constitution of India’’. He, like any other RSS follower, has serious reservations with words like ‘’secularism and socialism”.

Govindacharya told NH: “What meaning does secularism imply in India? It implies opposition to Hindus and appeasement of Muslims or other minorities”. He has even serious objection to a concept like “human rights”.

Principles of human rights, secularism and socialism are essentially fundamentals of a modern state while the RSS wants India to be moulded into ancient Indian ethos which in its view is a caste based Hindu Rashtra wherein the non-Hindu minorities should have no rights at all.

Can such a Constitutional concept be good for India? First, such notions are ancient in nature and will push India into ancient times rather than take it forward. Secondly, India has already evolved into a modern democratic state with a long anti-colonial struggle. It has a history of going through a renaissance wherein it imbibed western values like democratic politics, equality and human rights etc.

Reversing these values now mean walking back in history. India had already evolved a consensus during its independence struggle to evolve into a modern and secular nation. Indian Constitution essentially reflects that consensus that the Sangh now wants to reverse.

Hegde’s statement is a calculated move in that direction. Hegde is essentially a RSS mask who has been assigned the task to test how far Indian political set up is willing to accept the Sangh’s move to alter the Indian constitution. Hegde is not from the Hindu fringe. He is a Union Minister who is the voice of Sangh in Karnataka and has been practising hard Hindutva in his own home state. He is voicing the Sangh’s intention and laying out a path to implement the RSS wish.

It is, therefore, time for the modern and secular Indian establishment to stand up and seek government stand on Indian constitution. Non-Hindutva parties must not hedge their bets around soft-Hindu politics in the hope of garnering electoral victories for their parties. If the constitution is altered, there will be no scope for secular politics and politicians. Hence the urgent need to fight back men like Hegde and protect Indian constitution which makes India a proud modern state. Else, we will be a Hindu Pakistan of RSS Ideals soon.