Politicians divide, we ignite
Last time I checked we are the largest democracy in the world. (Schools taught us there is unity in diversity, we are one of the most culturally diverse country, a secular nation). Election after election we get a reminder of how religious insensitivity is common, all credit to our political leaders who have a vote bank policy based on caste and religion.
The recent Dadri lynching, is a disturbing reality check of how we are as a nation. Killing of an innocent man over alleger rumours of possession of beef. A mob of 200 people attacked the family, and no surprise the people responsible were politically connected.
A portion of our country is divided taking sides, but majority of the country is numb. Some are calling it a misunderstanding, just an accident and worst of all "this happens everyday". On the other side, people say we shouldn't keep quiet, we should voice our opinion and see to it the perpetrators are given appropriate punishment.
One question we are not asking is, what led to all this? Is beef ban in so many states justified, considering we are a democracy. Is democracy driven by political-babus or common people like us? Is this the rise of sick-ularism or death of secularism? (Note: ban is not on consumption, it's on slaughter). Multiple articles have surfaced stating ban as unconstitutional and how beef is consumed by many poor Indians, it's poor man's protein. Should those who consider the animal sacred also understand we have multiple faiths in this country and all faiths are to be given equal importance.
It's not just these events that have started to bother me, when i see any article related to this on any public forum (facebook, twitter, even news portals) I see people start spats immediately, both mocking the others religion, offensive comments and other hurtful jabs. We are not worried about how critical and dangerous this can be for the generations to come. Is it that difficult to accept nation above all philosophy.
We all dream of being a progressive nation, how can we progress when we breed so much hatred towards each other. How can the world trust us when we seem to be losing trust on each other.
I see clear signs of divisive politics. Politicians divide, we ignite (they are walking with match sticks, and we are the jungle on fire). They are securing their votes, but what are we securing? Hatred, fighting and even killing innocents. We should understand how divide and rule made India bleed from the clutches of British Raj, do we want our past to deflate our future?
Note: This is plight of a concerned Indian (Not hindu, not muslim)