When we look at Indian history, there have been rulers in the subcontinent who followed different religions, but there is no historical record of religious states. Observing countries that have officially declared themselves as Islamic, Christian or Buddhist, some people copying foreign ideologies are campaigning for the establishment of a Hindu state in India (Even the knickers once worn by RSS members and their current trousers, are foreign imitations, not traditional Indian attire). They are using Goebbels as an inspiration for their propaganda.
They say if a lie is told a hundred times, it becomes the truth in 101st time. Whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Sikh, if anyone wants to establish a religious state, it is nothing but a sign of mental weakness triggered by the adverse effects of arrogance. It doesn’t stop at religion it leads to the degradation of forming caste-based states. Socialism is not an Indian economic philosophy. This is a baseless argument each country does not have a separate economic theory. In a time when the world is considered a global village, making such statements is a deceptive tactic to mislead the public. A farm labourer is a farm labourer anywhere, whether in India or elsewhere. Likewise, a factory worker in America is an industrial worker just like in Anakapalle. Capital and profit are the only constants. Socialism is similar it aims at collective well-being. India has always followed the principles of Sarvodaya (welfare of all) and Antyodaya (upliftment of the weakest).
‘Sarvejana Sukhino Bhavantu’ (May all people be happy) predates even socialist ideas. If everyone benefits, the weakest automatically does too. Then why have economic inequalities grown worse than even during British rule? Some claim that secularism has gone astray and that it’s harming Hinduism and society, and hence, the country should be fully transformed into a Hindu state. But if secularism has gone astray, it needs correction not replacement by a religious state. The call for ‘restoring’ a Hindu nation is a Himalayan falsehood being implanted into people’s minds. They say, ‘Muslims who migrated to India were granted a Waqf Board, while Hindus displaced from Pakistan were left empty-handed’. But where is the evidence? Has anyone accounted for the properties and lands under the temple and charitable trusts across states? The government only gave the Waqf Board the authority to manage properties donated by individuals, it did not grant them extra assets. As per government data, the Waqf Board manages 8,70,000 properties over 9,40,000 acres, valued at 1.2 lakh crore. Some describe it as the third largest institution in India after Indian Railways and the military. But has the central government ever released similar data on temples and trust-owned assets? According to NSSO data, such assets are valued at 3.02 lakh crore. People who left India didn’t have their properties handed over to those who went to Pakistan. For instance, houses and lands of those who migrated from Hyderabad to Pakistan were later occupied illegally by both Hindus and Muslims and many disputes over such properties still persist. Even after so many decades, claims that Hindus are still suffering in India are more psychological warfare than truth. If someone points fingers at Pakistan’s treatment of Muslims, we must ask how well-off are Muslims in Pakistan today?
On the one hand, we see saffron groups saying, ‘Look at the plight of religious-state Pakistan. see how far India has come’. So does turning India into a religious state mean turning it into another Pakistan? What exactly is a Hindu state, and what does it look like? Can anyone describe it? Common people may not care, but those claiming to represent pure orthodoxy themselves avoid temple thresholds that others cross freely. So, whose vision would shape this religious state? Would others accept it? What would life be like for followers of other religions in such a state? Repeating that Hindus are suffering even while they are the majority is Goebbels-like propaganda. All communities face the same developmental challenges. We know how low we rank globally in human development indicators. Saying there’s anti-Hindu sentiment in the country is a psychological ploy, a tactic to mislead the masses. History shows that majoritarianism is dangerous, so this ideology needs to be changed. If this continues unchecked, youth may regress instead of progressing, dragging the nation into decline. Ordinary Indians may have religion, but not hatred. If there truly were Hindu hatred, how come in the 2024 elections, even when Hindutva was supposedly under threat, 34% didn’t even vote? BJP’s vote share decreased by 0.8% to 36.56%, and even that includes votes garnered by allies like TDP and Jana Sena.
Finally, one last point if we must eradicate so-called Hindu hatred, does that mean everyone should become narrow-minded? Those who believe in ‘Sarvejana Sukhino Bhavant’ (Let all be happy) wouldn’t even be able to utter words of religious hatred. An ideology whether hateful or otherwise is not a tangible object or being to be eradicated. In history, Charvakas (materialists) were killed and their texts burned, yet their ideology couldn’t be erased. If people don’t support something, it naturally fades if they do, religious discord majority versus minority will rage like twin flames.