The Hindu : Violating the rule of law

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

Opinion

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Violating the rule of law

FOR TOO LONG, the international general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Praveen Togadia, has been throwing a direct challenge to the rule of law, not only making inflammatory speeches of communal hatred, but also defying bans and prohibitory orders in force. At each of his meeting venues in States ruled by parties other than the BJP, Mr. Togadia has been inviting arrest, seemingly determined to achieve his own version of `martyrdom' in the cause of Hindutva. Whether in Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, where he played on the communally-sensitive Bhojshala issue, or in Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, where he sought to address public meetings despite being denied police permission, or in Ajmer in Rajasthan where he distributed tridents in violation of prohibitory orders, Mr. Togadia looked like he was desperate to be seen on the wrong side of the law. On each occasion he tested the tolerance limits of the State administration, and it was only a matter of time before he found himself having to face the consequences of his speeches and actions. The Congress Government in Rajasthan, in arresting the VHP leader for possessing and distributing a banned weapon, did what was essential under the circumstances, and ended what would have been a series of highly provocative `trishul diksha' ceremonies. Any dithering by the State Government on this issue would only have emboldened the VHP and other Hindutva outfits to introduce blatant threats and violence in their majoritarian agenda. Of late, Mr. Togadia had taken upon himself the task of projecting the aggressive brand of majoritarian politics, attacking even the leaders of the BJP. There have been several instances of Mr. Togadia ridiculing the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, thus making the hawks in the BJP appear as moderates.

The tridents have now come to symbolise the violent face of Hindutva, with VHP activists provocatively displaying them at every available opportunity. But the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, has been quick to clarify that the ban on tridents, which could be extended to other Congress-ruled States, does not cover those trishuls traditionally associated with Shiva in religious iconography. Apparently, he is wary of the ban being interpreted as an action directed against Hindus. The issue, like Mr. Gehlot himself says, relates to the rule of law. The Government could not have watched in silence the distribution of sharp-edged weapons, especially by those with a track record of having incited communal violence.

Although it is not clear if the `conspiracy for sedition' charge slapped on Mr. Togadia would survive judicial scrutiny (the charge was not mentioned in the First Information Report), the Government did well to send a message that there is no place for the politics of communal violence. Indeed, the arrest of Mr. Togadia confirms that there is a welcome departure in the attitude of the Governments of Congress-ruled States which have often chosen to adopt the line of least resistance when confronted by the provocative politics of forces exploiting the label of Hindu identity. Last month, the Congress Government in Madhya Pradesh similarly gave no room to another Sangh Parivar leader, Acharya Dharmendra, who was held in Ujjain for trying to "foment trouble". Unless the state stands up to such forces unleashing violence, there would be no end to the provocative politics of Hindutva outfits which have often used the fear of a supposed `Hindu backlash' to get away with violating laws of the land. The poor response to the Rajasthan bandh called by the VHP and supported by the BJP to protest the arrest of Mr. Togadia should reassure the State Government in this regard. There can be no leniency towards those who cross the line of legitimate political action and seek to undermine the rule of law.

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