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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  A year of controversies, online and offline
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A year of controversies, online and offline

A year of the Modi government have been marked by acts that have eroded individual freedoms, from attempts at religious conversion, online censoring to bans on eating beef

Even as the country saw a spate of attacks on churches and Christian schools, the VHP continued to speak of its plans for ghar wapsi. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/MintPremium
Even as the country saw a spate of attacks on churches and Christian schools, the VHP continued to speak of its plans for ghar wapsi. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

New Delhi: From initiatives aimed at converting Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, to bans on eating beef and attempts to censor online posts, the 12 months of the Modi government have been marked by acts that have eroded individual freedoms.

Some political analysts, however, say some of these may have been the product of Hindu groups allied to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) doing things “on their own".

“Things that happened in the last one year. We have to see them in a context, which is the complete lack of governance in the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government. In this context, if you see, a lot of things have been done on the foreign and economic policy side. But there is no doubt that because of the very close ties with the RSS, the government has allowed it to do things on its own," says S.L. Rao, former chairman of Bengaluru-based Institute for Socio-Economic Change. “But the government has been able to intervene at the most critical times to keep the situation under control."

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist outfit, is the ideological mentor of the BJP and many top leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During its first year in power, a key issue that has taken the sheen off the Modi government has been that of the “reconversion" of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism—launched by groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), also allied to the RSS. Dubbed ghar wapsi (homecoming), the move is seen as a reaction to alleged conversions by Christian and Muslim groups.

“Conversions spoil communal amity in the country. It should be banned. If conversions continue, I feel ghar wapsi programme will continue," said Yogi Adityanath, a controversial BJP MP, according to news reports.

One media report in December said that the Dharam Jagran Samiti, an offshoot of the RSS, announced plans to convert 100,000 Muslims and an equal number of Christians to Hinduism in a year. Another said that 57 Muslim families were converted to Hinduism in Agra by the Bajrang Dal, a group allied to the VHP. The Muslim families were later reported as saying they were misled into believing that the programme was for registering them as families living below the poverty line that would entitle them to government benefits.

The Modi government washed its hand of the issue, saying law and order is a state subject, after the opposition Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress raised the Agra incident in Parliament and pointed out that changing a person’s faith by force or inducements is illegal.

Even as the country saw a spate of attacks on churches and Christian schools, the VHP continued to speak of its plans for ghar wapsi. Sadhvi Prachi Arya, a prominent VHP leader, said the programme would continue till 150 million people who she said have left the Hindu fold after the country’s Independence, are “reconverted to Hinduism".

Closely linked with Hinduism is the issue of banning the consumption of beef, as cows are sacred for a majority of Hindus. Recent efforts to ban beef in several states across the country are considered by many as an attack on their basic freedom to choose what they want to eat. Maharashtra and Haryana, both ruled by the BJP (in Maharashra in a coalition) recently banned the sale and possession of beef, as also cow slaughter. Cow slaughter is also banned in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Another encroachment came with the newly-appointed Central Board of Film Certification, which circulated a list of 28 swear words that it thought were objectionable. The list was later withdrawn.

The government appointed a new censor board in January after Leela Samson resigned as chairperson complaining of political interference. One reason cited for Samson’s exit was the clearance granted to Messenger of God, a film on godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Dera Sacha Sauda, a sect Rahim heads, supported the BJP in assembly elections in some states in 2014 and 2015.

“The actions of this censor board are perhaps the best case that can be made for its own disbandment," said film-maker Rakesh Sharma.

Meanwhile, the government asked the industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India to identify “objectionable" content on the Internet.

“Web filtering, if at all it happens, will only be used in the extreme provocative situation like pornographic material. My instruction is that there should not be any abusive use of it. That’s the bottom of it," minister of communications and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad told Mint in November. In December, the government blocked access to 32 websites based on the advice of an anti-terrorism team.

Despite the controversies, Rao said, “The NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government always stays alert, watches out for such critical issues and intervenes before things take a turn for the worse."

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Published: 25 May 2015, 12:28 AM IST
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