The Government And The Party Must Walk The Talk
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-12-23 08:12:37
About the Author
Prime Minister Modi delivered the address celebrating the centenary of the hallowed Aligarh Muslim University on December 23, 2020. He was the first Prime Minister to address the AMU for an event after 1964. That in itself tells a story - the university keeps a safe distance from politicians and follows its own path vis-a-vis public policy. But the centenary celebrations (held online due to the Covid situation) required the address to be delivered by a heavyweight - either the President or the Prime Minister. The AMU board chose Narendra Modi.
PM Modi rightly used the opportunity to reach out to the minorities. He said that differences over politics can never mean that development work should stop and such work must go on taking into account sabka saath sabka vikas. Modi paid glowing tribute to the AMU and its role in nation-building. He tried to assure the minorities that his government was rolling out policies that did not discriminate against any citizen due to his or her caste, creed or religion. He also assured everyone that the constitutional rights of all citizens are secure under his government.
Before this, a couple of days ago, the Prime Minister had also paid a surprise visit to Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in the capital and paid tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur. Given the farm agitation where a majority of protestors are Sikhs, that visit sought to dispel the impression that is being created that the government is against Sikhs. The Prime Minister said that he was honoured that the 400th birth centenary of the Guru will fall during the tenure of his government and promised to celebrate the same in a historic manner. This reach out to the Sikhs was also important and timely.
But what the Prime Minister says and does is unfortunately not adhered to by others in his government and the party, including the fringe groups that owe allegiance to it. The AMU has been wrongly targeted by Hindu fringe groups in the recent past for being "totally" Muslim. This is untrue. As the Prime Minister acknowledged, AMU imparts modern education in an atmosphere that ignites the inquisitive spirit in young minds. It is not a prisoner of any ideology. Similarly, the farm agitation is sought to be tarnished by giving it an identity-based grievance image, which is untrue. Yes farmers from Punjab are more affected and more from Punjab are protesting but they are not the only one who will be affected neither are they the only ones who are protesting. Hence, instead of reaching out to the minorities through such actions and lectures, the Prime Minister would do well to instill a sense of tolerance and acceptance of minorities and protestors in his own government and the party.
