Dr Nishant A.Irudayadason
Professor of Philosophy and Ethics,
Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune.
In the last decade, all political discussion in our country seem to revolve around religion. Many policies are perceived as potentially harmful to the members of religions with minority status. In particular, the recent controversial citizen amendment act (CAA) passed in the parliament coupled with National population register (NPA) and National Register for Citizenship (NRC) has sparked heated debates and chain protests across the country. Nevertheless, the debates are predominantly centred on the question of religion. While we cannot ignore the fact that CAA makes a discrimination based on religion, it is only one aspect of the larger concern.
CAA-NRC policies cannot be singled out from the implementations of many policies of this government. Making Aadharcard mandatory for all government schemes, demonetization, introducing Goods and Service tax (GST), and now CAA in view of NRC—all these have one single untold implicit agenda of subverting democracy and implementing a fascist regime. This may sound preposterous but this is justified when we recognize how these government policies are often accompanied by violence enacted by supporters of the government. Acts of violence includes cow vigilantism, assault on intellectuals, and attack on reputed institutions of higher education.
Democracy is often characterized by equality, fraternity and liberty. When these aspects are destroyed, democracy ceases to exist and this is what is being staged now. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, “although fascist parties and movements differed significantly from one another, they had many characteristics in common, including extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites, and the desire to create a Volksgemeinschaft (German: ‘people’s community’), in which individual interests would be subordinated to the good of the nation”. The long-cherished democratic principle of liberty is the first one to be destroyed. It begins with the freedom of choice with regard to one’s life style and ends with freedom of expression. Dissent has no rightful place in a fascist regime and it is brutally struck by armed forces. Consistent attempts are systematically made to suppress the voice of people especially of intellectuals over a period of time.
Further the natural social hierarchy and the rule of the elites has been a narrative in our sub-continent for centuries. This gets heightened with new methods and approaches allying with the corporate world. It is not difficult to see how different policies of the government has been favouring corporate companies to the detriment of small scale industries and the government has largely succeeded in promoting equality especially through demonetization. A country that has suffered social inequality through caste system now also suffers economic inequality. Often times the socially discriminated are the ones who are also economically discriminated. People who struggle to meet both ends meet and experience harsh social abuses are hardly interested in maintaining documentation to prove their place of origin. When NRC comes into effect, such people will be the most affected and risk becoming stateless.
To maintain inequalities, fascist regimes often evoke divisive strategies often in the name of nationalism and in India it is done though a clever ploy of religion. Such divisive strategies are attempts to eradicate another key democratic principle, namely fraternity. And narratives are constructed to let people fight among themselves on the basis of religion so that fascism can slowly take hold of our lives. That’s why limiting the CAA-NRC debates to religion would not enable us to protect democracy. The fact is it is a fascist war against the poor people who constitute majority in this country and whose aspirations can only be guaranteed by democracy. It is incumbent of every citizen to rise above religious sectarianism and to act. If we fail to do now it would be too late to save democracy.
