An interfaith meet organised by Ajit Doval was part of the Narendra Modi government's outreach programme to maintain inter-faith harmony. But the real purpose of the meeting is said to be handing over the community’s leadership to those who are ready to say ‘Yes Prime Minister’.
Syed Ali Mujtaba
NEW DELHI – National Security Advisor Ajit Doval conducted an interfaith communal harmony meeting at the Constitution Club of India. The conference was organised by the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council and attended by 45 religious leaders. The leaders belonged to different religions communities hailing from different parts of the country.
The interfaith meet was part of the Narendra Modi government’s outreach programme to maintain inter-faith harmony in the country.
Observers believe the meeting was a damage control and fire fighting exercise to contain the fallout of the controversy arising from the intemperate remarks against the Prophet of Islam made by Nupur Sharma, a former office bearer the BJP.
The Observers also feel that PM Modi is creating a new class of Muslim leadership by derecognising the Muslims who come from the scientific tempered class and handing over the community’s leadership to those who are ready to say ‘Yes Prime Minister’.
The other conclusion drawn from the initiative is that the BJP government does not recognise Muslim intelligentsia as the political leader fit to lead the community. So does the Muslim clergy that thinks the BJP government is not fit to lead the community.
This is felt because the Modi government in its Muslim leadership outreach is giving prominence to the Muslims who are not at all at the forefront of the Muslim leadership. So, a conclusion has been drawn that the BJP government is creating a new Muslim leadership and its catchment area is those who are custodians of Muslim Sufi Saint’s Shrines or managing Muslim trusts or Muslim graveyards. These kinds of people are handpicked and are recognised by the government as the true representatives of the Muslim community.
The resolution drafted at the meeting suggests that the Muslim/Islamic groups alone are indulging in anti-national activities in India. The observers are of the view that this meeting was an exercise to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI), a right-wing Islamic organisation that has become active after scores of anti-Muslim hate crimes were reported in the country.
Surprisingly, this meeting gave a clean chit to the Hindu radical organisations like Bajrang Dal, Ram Sena, and other such hate mongers who are engaged in anti-national activities.
Now, let’s get down to the actual meeting. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was the government’s representative at the interfaith harmony meeting. Addressing the meeting, he said by the government, “In the name of religion, some radical organisations are creating acrimony and conflict in the country. If we have to tackle that atmosphere, it’s important to maintain the unity of the country together. We have to make every sect of India feel that we are a country together, we are proud of it and that every religion can be professed with freedom here,” Doval said in his confidence-building speech.
Speaking on the occasion, the key representative of the Muslim community Hazrath Syed Naseeruddin Chishty, the chairperson of the All India Sufi SajjadaNasheen Council, said, “The need of the hour is to rein in and ban radical organisations. Be it any radical organisation, they should be banned if there is evidence against them.”
He clearly mentioned ‘if the evidence is there against PFI, it should be banned’. He did not utter a single word against any Hindu outfit.
The meeting ended with a resolution passed on the occasion calling for a ban on organisations like PFI and any other such fronts (mostly Islamic) that are indulging in anti-national activities. It states that action must be initiated against such outfits as per the law of the land.
The resolution also strongly recommends that any person or organisation found guilty with evidence of spreading hatred among different communities through any means must be acted upon as per the provisions of law.
“Targeting any god/goddesses/ prophets in discussions/debates by anyone should be condemned and dealt with as per law,” the resolution stated.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. The views expressed here are author’s personal. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
