In a new low for communal politics, today multiple channels were systematically seeded that Rahul Gandhi is a non hindu. Twitter errupted with a trend. The apparent non-proof was a non-Hindu visitor log book at Somnath Temple . For anyone who understands, how a SPG protected VIP would be provided a log book, they would know such a person would have a little choice of his own on which book to sign. At any rate Rahul Gandhi signed on a Hindu register at the temple.
This brings us two more pertinent questions – why does a devotee to the lord Somnath have to be classified on the log book and more importantly how does religion of a Kashmiri Brahmin matter. Both the questions point to some thing that is inherently wrong with Gujarat. The society in Gujarat has been broken at large. If one were to rent a home in Ahmadabad they would discover several ghettos. Juhapura, Shah Alam for muslims and Naranpura, Satellite, Vejalpur for hindus and so on. In fact the 2003 riots were not the disease, but were, merely the symptoms of larger and older problem Socio-religious segmentation.
While BJP has now mastered this art of audience dissection while Congress has been avoiding any communal discussion at every level. In the Gujarat election trail while BJP has taken a narrow minded view on almost every issue and tried to push one community against another, Congress has addressed the voters with agendas of Development and of Governance. In a sense Congress seems to be more nationalist than BJP. With this unwarranted controversy, BJP’s planners were able to ignite some sort of communal discussion back into the election discourse and push Congress to defend the Hindu roots of its leader.
But this entire episode is extremely unwarranted. The next level of Gujarat can only be achieved if the the hindu-muslim border in Vejalpur can be dissolved. Congress is offering the same, while BJP still wants to milk the divide. Divide and Rule. I am sure this is a nightmare that Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar never saw coming.
