In a time of hate speeches and racial mockery being 'viral' on the Cyberspace, the politically disturbing comments of the BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj must not be shrugged off as silly or bigoted. Be it the demand of death penalty for cow slaughter last year or calling Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi "mad" or his comments of praise for Trump and equating him to Modi, the man has made sure he remains in the limelight for his politically slack-worthy remarks. “Hinduism has made our country and its culture so unique. The world respects us because of Hinduism. I hope more and more leaders around the world would emulate Trump on this and rightfully praise Hindus and Hinduism”, he was noted as saying. What Maharaj fails to acknowledge, where driven by ignorance or propaganda, is that, India is not just about Hindus and Hinduism, but an amalgamation of religious beliefs and cultures.
His recent verbal attack on the Muslim community shows how little regard such politicians have towards maintaining the communal equilibrium in the country. Giving the communal standpoint on the issue of population rise while addressing an event in Meerut, his clear words were, "Population is increased by those who support the concept of four wives and 40 children". Adding further to the bigoted remarks, he also spoke against the practice of triple and asked the government to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as soon as possible. There is no further need of clarification as to which religious group was being targeted by the shallow opinion of the MP.
It is quite an understatement to mention that the implementation of the UCC would pave way for an utter state of discord and unrest in the country. Bringing such controversial subjects in a political gathering could only be cited as a sly way of planting the seed of religious supremacy in the heads of an already religiously inclined crowd. Otherwise, how could one justify the need to bring in such an angle when clearly the topic of concern was the Supreme Court's verdict of seeking votes in the name of religion during polls being illegal. While the Centre and the party has distanced itself from Maharaj's comments, claiming to be solely his own, Union minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi reportedly said, "It is wrong to perceive his statement as that of the BJP."
The state of Uttar Pradesh has always been a battlefront in the name of religion and clearly we do not need more leaders who believe in showing one's own religion in a greater light while belittling the other. With more and more leaders emerging as right-wing enthusiasts and their unabashed spew of communal venom, there's an impending cause for worry, in the name of democracy and secularism.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal views of the author.
