THIS is with reference to the report ‘Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh dies at 92’ (Dec 27). He would be remembered as the last secular premier that India had. Since 2014, when his official tenure ended, India has experienced a rather spectacular descent into fascism.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister of India from 1947 to 1964. These 16 years veritably set the course for future India. Nehru believed in a secularist approach to life and politics. In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindutva beliefs are com-pletely opposite to even the idea of peaceful coexistence.

Under its rule, extremist Hindus have started going after every vestige of the Indo-Islamic culture and architecture in the country, changing names of cities and roads, demolishing and converting mosques into temples, and enacting anti-Muslim laws.

It seems to be an exercise to remove the stigma of having been ruled by Muslim emperors for 700 years; an epoch in which Hindus flourished and progressed across the subcontinent and enjoyed equal rights.

The effects of Muslim rule over India are deeply engraved in the modern Indian culture. Poetry, music, architecture, language and customs have flourished and developed through interaction of centuries.

Without the presence of Islamic heritage and architecture in India, it would present a desolate picture devoid of cultural and historic diversity.

In an unfortunate development, Hindu Sena has filed a lawsuit laying claims on the land of the dargah of revered saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, alleging the land to be part of an ancient Shiv Temple, and demanding it to be returned to extremist Hindus.

The preachers of Hindutva may even reclaim the shrine, but they can never diminish the respect and love the people across the world have for this great saint due to his selfless devotion to the people of the land.

India is no more a secular country. In fact, away from official claims, the situation on the ground has never been quite free of racial and ethnic prejudices, making lives of the minority communities extremely difficult and undignified.

Over the last decade, India has just taken off the fig leaf of secularism, and is now wading through the dark times of fascism.

In the words of Khushwant Singh, every religion’s worst enemy is the fanatic/fascist who claims to follow the religion, but always tries to force his personal beliefs and ideas on others.

The BJP must acknowledge the role of Muslims in development and formation of modern India as it is today, and stop pushing the Indian society towards the foul ghettos of extremism and hate.

Farrukh Shahab
Lahore

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024