This Independence Day, guard against radicalism
Radicalism is poison for the subcontinent. Independence Day reminds us of this fact every year.
Three days from today, India will be celebrating its 78th Independence Day — the day the country was born. Birthdays, they say, are days to reflect on one’s life: The gains and losses; the mistakes one has made, and the ways and means to rectify them. On August 15, what should India, and we as Indians, be reflecting upon?
To begin with, let’s look at things to be proud of. We remain a largely peaceful country despite the turmoil in our neighbourhood. Take Bangladesh for instance. Violence has claimed more than 450 lives in that country. The situation deteriorated to the extent that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed had to leave her nation once again. Now an interim government is fighting to bring the situation under control.
However, those now labelling Hasina as a deluded dictator had once waited for her to return to power in Bangladesh with bated breath. These people forget that within four years of Bangladesh being liberated in 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whom that country titled “father of the nation”, was assassinated at his official residence. Hasina was away from the country then; else, she would have met the same fate. Since then, fortunately, no head of government has been killed in Bangladesh, though it has seen many coups. Hasina herself returned to power in 2008 after a series of particularly violent demonstrations.
The next 15 years were hers. Though she helped strengthen the economy, she also metamorphosed into a dictator in the garb of democracy. Over time, the façade of democracy she put up has fallen apart. She won the last general election in June solely by suppression and subversion. The Bangladeshis hadn’t expected this from her. They took to the streets and dethroned her.
But the chaos also emboldened the anarchists. The way chief justice Obaidul Hassan was forced to resign following a siege of the Bangladeshi supreme court is terrifying. The way Hindus are being targeted in the country over the past few days is also deeply worrying for India. I am reminded of a statement an Indian diplomat stationed in Dhaka had made two years ago: “In 10 years, Bangladesh would turn into Afghanistan.” Is that fear coming true? Maybe.
There is instability elsewhere, too. In Nepal, monarchy was replaced by democracy in 2008, but a stable government has eluded that country since. Myanmar, in turn, has been under the thumb of the junta, while Sri Lanka saw a Bangladesh-like situation only a few months ago. As for the Maldives, president Mohamed Muizzu was elected democratically but has shown little inclination to uphold democratic values, evident from the fact that he removed and jailed two of his ministers on charges of “black magic”.
Only India stands tall as a beacon of democracy in South Asia. We have had our share of instability. During the last seven-and-a-half decades, the country has been run by coalition governments for 30 years. Charan Singh, VP Singh, Chandrashekhar, Inder Kumar Gujral, and HD Deve Gowda have all led coalitions for short stints. Still, we have held on to our belief in democracy. Is that adequate? Absolutely not. As we move towards another Independence Day, we must remain alert against subversive forces. As the events unfolded in Bangladesh, fly-by-night experts mushroomed on social media making a “killing” from doomsday predictions for India. They had done the same for Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Irresponsible statements by politicians embolden such elements. A few days ago, a former foreign minister shocked everyone when he claimed India, too, can witness violent demonstrations as in Bangladesh. We all know that India is not Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. Our size, diversity and tradition of co-existence stop us from going down a slippery slope. But some experts say: If our ‘relative’ Pakistan can lose its way, why can’t we? What they forget is that on August 15, 1947, we shunned British slavery but not our legacy of Indian-ness.
Pakistan tried to create a new identity based on religion and ended up destroying itself. Bangladesh is dealing with the same malady. Even when the ambassadors of peace, the Buddhists, in Myanmar and Sri Lanka tried to conduct Bangladesh-like experiments, they fell flat. It’s because we shouldn’t forget religion is a part of culture and not the other way around.
Radicalism is poison for the subcontinent. Independence Day reminds us of this fact every year.
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
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