Sutanu Guru
Executive Director, C Voter Foundation
Imagine a scenario in which the son or daughter of Pushkar Dhami, Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Vasundhara Raje Scindia or B. S. Yediyurappa is invited to a seminar and delivers a speech with the following words:
“I thank the organisers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to deliver a special address. You have kept the name of the conference as ‘Islam (Or Christianity) Abolition Conference’ rather than ‘Anti- Islam (or Christianity) Conference’, I appreciate that. Few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can’t oppose Dengue, Mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate this that’s how we have to eradicate Islam (Or Christianity). Rather opposing Islam (Or Christianity), it should be eradicated…”
What would be the reaction of politicians and political parties that declare themselves to be avowedly “secular”? What would be the reaction of journalists and their platforms who declare themselves to be avowedly “liberal”? All hell would have broken loose. Critics of the current regime would have yet again proclaimed from the rooftops that a majoritarian BJP and its leaders are using brazen “hate speech” to abuse, dehumanise and demonise entire faith systems. Washington Post and The New York Times would have featured stinging op-eds morning the death of liberal, inclusive and tolerant democracy in India. Supporters of Rahul Gandhi would juxtapose this “hate speech” with the “Mohabbat Ki Dukan” that their leader is espousing. Some of the more hysterical commentators like Arundhati Roy would insist that a “Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing” of Muslims and Christians in India is just round the corner.
The problem is: the speech was delivered by Udaynidhi Stalin, son of DMK leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. K. Stalin. Udaynidhi Stalin is also a minister in the cabinet. In his speech, the word used was Sanatan (Dharma) instead of Islam or Christianity. Without mincing any words, Stalin Junior is of the opinion that like mosquitoes, malaria, dengue and Corona, Sanatan Dharma needs to be eradicated. According to the Oxford dictionary, eradicate means “to destroy or get rid of something completely”. According to the Cambridge dictionary, eradicate means “to get rid of something completely or destroy something bad”. The dynast and de facto inheritor of DMK has doubled down in defiance after his remarks led to a firestorm of angry protests. He has insisted in subsequent media interactions that he will keep saying that Sanatan needs to be eradicated.
For a moment, just forget the BJP which is leading the “condemn” Udaynidhi bandwagon. It is a political party in quest for votes and will milk the incendiary and outrageous remarks of the leader for all it is worth. What I want to focus are two things: first, do these remarks come under the ambit of a call to Genocide as defined by the United Nations? Second and more important, do these words constitute “hate speech” as per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court of India? The answer on both counts is: Yes. Stalin Junior is now saying he never used the words Genocide. He is technically correct. But as per the UN definition, he has dehumanised Sanatan (mosquitoes, dengue) and called for its eradication. How exactly will the task of “eradicating” Sanatan be achieved? Common sense says you have to, along with the caste system, also destroy all rituals, traditions, temples and other markers associated with Sanatan Dharma, which is Hinduism in other words. Some shameless “liberals” are saying thin skinned Hindus are needlessly fear mongering. Their argument: how can there be genocide and ethnic cleansing of Hindus in a country where they are almost 80% of the population? Well, these shameless “liberals” always choose not to talk about half a million Kashmiri Hindu Pandits who have actually faced ethnic cleansing in their own homeland.
I went through various observations and orders passed by the Supreme Court related to “hate speech” in recent times. In April 2023, the top court ordered police of all states to register suo moto FIRs against persons indulging in hate speech even if there is no complaint. The Court warned it will initiate contempt proceedings if it’s order and guidelines are not followed. The order also said “such action will be taken irrespective of the religion of the maker of the speech or the person who commits such act belongs to…” By any yardstick, it is clear that Udaynidhi Stalin has indulged in hate speech as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court.
Remember, he did not say caste discrimination needs to be eradicated. He did not say certain regressive practices still prevalent in Hinduism need to be eradicated. He is not talking of reform. He is talking of complete destruction of the oldest faith system in the world. If that is not Hindu hatred, I don’t know what it is. I had always suspected that Indian “liberals” are two faced hypocrites when it comes to tolerance and inclusivity. By staying mostly silent even in the face of brazen hate speech against an entire religion, they have convinced people like me that they are shameless cretins who deserve no respect whatsoever.
Disclaimer:
This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
