Editor,

There are certain so called “delicate issues” which should be treated as sacrosanct and which by no means ought to be interfered with. Two of such issues are religion and language. Whenever these issues are interfered with, there has always been violent reactions by the affected groups. Decades back, the central government tried to impose Hindi in South India which met with violent resistance resulting in disdain for the national language. In the 1970s the Assam government tried to impose Assamese language on tribal communities and the result was a demand for cessation from Assam and the creation of separate states.

These days, the West Bengal Government is stirring the hornet’s nest by trying to impose Bengali language on the hill tribes of Darjeeling. This has caused a revival of the demand for a separate Gorkha Land. We are witnessing a lot of violence and unrest in these hill regions. I am sure if the government tries to pursue this policy, it is going to create more chaos in the region and many more innocent lives will be lost.

Trying to interfere with the religious beliefs of people is another delicate issue that can ignite fury and violence. History has ample lessons to teach us on this matter. What the BJP government is trying to do in many states of India today is exactly meddling with the religious beliefs of people. The so called “ghar wapsi” is a euphemism for forced conversion to Hinduism. Many Dalits have been enticed to come back to Hinduism through many incentives and sometimes even by threats. The attempt to impose a religious ideology, namely, that of the sacredness of the cow, on all citizens of India, is another form of religious interference. Why should a Muslim or a Christian be compelled to worship the cow just because we live in Hindu majority country? In my opinion, if religious beliefs of others are not respected or even interfered with, there is bound to be a reaction which may lead to undesirable results. Those at the helm of national or state affairs should keep in mind that they should never interfere with religions, cultures or languages of other communities. These are hallowed grounds for every group of people which should be respected and revered. It pays to remember the famous saying “fools rush where angels fear to tread.” A wise government is one that knows how to respect and preserve the secular characteristic of a nation. Religious or linguistic romanticism should by no means become a political ideology of a government.

Yours etc.,

Barnes Mawrie sdb,

Via email