Reject Politics of Exclusion (leaflet by Secular activists during Maharastra state elections)

[SACW | October 10, 2004]
[Text of Leaflet being circulated by secular activists in Maharashtra before the upcoming elections there]

Leaflet 1

REJECT POLITICS OF EXCLUSION

Day by day as citizens of this country we realize that
our powers to bring about change in our economic and
social life are decreasing. When we talk about
politicians and politics there is an instant dislike
and an aversion among us. But yet as citizens it is
important for us to regain that right, which was given
to us when we became a nation on August 15, 1947.

Our Constitution is the foundation of our Nation. It
is based on principles, which gives each citizen equal
rights in every sphere of his or her life whatever be
the religion, caste or class of the citizen. It has
very clearly stated that we are a Secular, Democratic
and a Sovereign Nation. But if we look at the history
of our Nation since the last few decades we find that
communal forces are gradually trying to destroy this
democratic ethos, culture and space.

Communal politics or Hindutva is based on an ideology
of divisions, hatred and violence. It has created the
'us' versus 'the other', the majority versus the
minority, the Hindu versus the Muslim, the Hindu
versus the Christian, Marathi versus Marathi, Gujarati
versus Gujarati, Bihari versus Assamese and so on.

Communal politics is the politics of exclusion. The
danger implied in this ideology is, to what extent
will we go on with the exclusion of groups of people.
Tomorrow it could be 'you' who is put in the category
of 'the other' and this could lead eventually lead to
'your' attack. And then either since you remained
silent or were with those who indulged in physical
violence -- where would you go for help?

For centuries our religious and social life was
dominated by the caste system in which within the
broad framework of Hinduism we discriminated against
large sections of people. Did we not then practice the
politics of exclusion? Even today attack against
Dalits by upper caste Hindus still continues on a
rampant scale. So is the Dalit a Hindu, and if he is
why is he being attacked? And if he is not a Hindu,
then does he belong to the 'Hindu Rashtra'?

India follows a communitarian way of life in which
each group values and retains its own identity, and at
the same time absorbs all that is modern and
worthwhile from other people who have different
linguistic, ethnic, religious background. This
interaction is possible only in a communitarian way of
life and this can thrive only in democracy.
Communalism or Hindutva on the other hand erases and
completely denies us this interactive process.

The violence that took place in Gujarat, in which
innocent lives were lost and property worth crores of
rupees destroyed, is a prime example of this
communitarian and democratic space being totally
exterminated.

RSS-BJP-VHP combine has constantly projected 'cultural
nationalism' as part of their ideology. But we as a
nation have practiced 'cultural pluralism' for
centuries. If any religion, language or anything
ethnic has to evolve, it can evolve only in cultural
pluralism. And the prerequisite for this cultural
pluralism is democracy. Therefore the absence of
cultural pluralism also becomes the absence of
Democracy.

Thus communalism or Hindutva is ultimately not the
clash of cultures, religions, civilizations, it is the
extinction of thousands of groups that have lived in
India since we became a part of this land through
time. It is the total annihilation of their
narratives, their religions, their languages, their
culture: in short their life systems.

It also becomes the slow death of its own majority
culture that it is trying to create in a 'Hindu
Rastra'. In the process it will

On the other hand when you try to impose a 'Hindu
Rashtra' of a majority culture, it is the beginning of
a slow death process in each and every sphere of our
life. History has shown us that majoritanism feeds
upon itself until it becomes too demonic and monstrous
to handle. Recently in Afghanistan, Taliban ended up
stifling majority culture, peoplesí rights. Pakistan
is another example before us. In an attempt to create
an Islamic State, various groups within Islam are
fighting among themselves to gain control of the
other.

So today what is important: Tiranga Yatra, Afzal
Khanís tomb, the position of Veer Savarkar or the
enormous economic disparities that are facing us. In
every area of life be it nutrition, health, education,
housing, sanitation, job security, our figures are
pathetic.

44% of Indiaís population is poor. 47% of children
under five are severely and chronically malnourished.
Almost half of Indian homes have no electricity. Two
in three have no tap water. There are only 48 doctors
for every 100000 people. Every third Indian is
illiterate.

The per capita consumption has increased by around 40
per cent since 1989-90 for the richest 20 per cent of
the urban population, whereas for the bottom 80 per
cent of the rural population - well more than half of
india's total population who now number nearly 600
million, per capita consumption has actually declined
since 1989-90.

We can go on with the figures, but once again at this
crucial juncture before the elections we have to make
our choices. Do we choose the ideology of violence or
that of co-existence? Do we choose democracy, the
Constitution, civil society or that based on divisions
in society? Is it not time for us to focus our
energies on development and progress to make life
better for our future generations? If we need to work
on development should we not then be guaranteed our
basic democratic rights? Let us vote for Democracy.