(Mohd Asim is Senior News Editor, NDTV 24x7)
Dear Prime Minister:
Let me borrow a phrase that you use often - "Main hairaan hoon" (I am surprised).
I am amazed, Mr Prime Minister, at the euphoria and media attention for your speech at a conference organized by Christian leaders in Delhi on Tuesday.
You chose your words well and delivered them to the desired impact, but in the end, you only stated the obvious - and after taking a very long time to call a spade a spade. The timing of your comments is also being hotly debated -are they linked to two reprimands by President Barack Obama?
So why such hysterical response? Maybe because you have finally ended your silence about incidents that try to rob our great country of its character, which is defined by tolerance and mutual respect towards faiths.
Your words, though as old as this country itself in their essence, carried new meanings for both your detractors and fans. While your detractors were surprised that you actually said what you did, your fans, especially the online variety, were aghast at the message you tried to put across.
Mr Prime Minister, your fans, commonly dubbed 'bhakts' in the online space, want you to stay caged in an image. That image is of a rabid Hindutva-vadi, Muslim and Christian hating tough leader who has arrived to liberate the 'Hindu' society from centuries of 'oppression' and 'insult'. The right-wingers were celebrating your silence on a series of hate remarks that were shot off in the initial months of your government. The hate-mongers saw you as 'their man' in power. As someone who will not spew venom himself any more owing to the position you now occupy, but will definitely let the larger parivaar have a free run.
And to be honest, you did give them a long rope. So now when you speak of tolerance, freedom of faith, communal harmony, they feel betrayed. Some online responses, again from people of a particular ideological orientation, were ridiculous, to put it mildly. Some were agitated that you conceded to the fact that churches may have been attacked and asked if you have evidence that the vandalism or arson was communally motivated. Well, bhakts will be bhakts.
Your critics, on the other hand, welcome your words but caution the country to wait for some real action before raising a toast to 'peace'. "PM's words are fine, but will the parivaar rabble-rousers listen?" they ask. And this is a genuine concern. As you would remember, sir, that your August 15 speech calling for a 10-year moratorium on communal discord didn't cut much ice with the right-wing hotheads.
Pardon me for saying this, but it's always going to be tough for someone like you with the baggage of the past and the burden of expectations of the loony fringe to tread a middle path. But I am sure you can navigate this Catch-22 situation if you decide once and for all that the fringe belongs to the fringe. Their noises need to be muffled by strong reassurances like the ones you offered yesterday, and not long silences.
The recent Delhi elections and the earlier UP bypolls have shown that pampering the fringe doesn't help in the long run. It has, on the other hand, put you in a position where you have to now state the obvious and reassure a minority gathering that your government actually believes in what is written in the Constitution.
I can assure you, Mr Prime Minister, that the majority of this country (cutting across religious lines) care more about education, jobs, affordable housing etc etc. And Mr Prime Minister, this section of the population is also in a rush. It wants things to be delivered at the speed of light. It doesn't give any concessions to the establishment and certainly sees all the communal jazz as an impediment to its growth and achievement.
Short point is you cannot obviously wish away the fringe (of all religious or ideological denominations) but you can certainly show it its place.
"
Der aaye, durust aaye" (better late than never) goes the age-old proverb. Mr Prime Minister, you have made a good beginning.
My humble advice as a concerned countryman: ignore your fans for a while and listen more to your critics. They may make for better fellow-travellers on the road to '
sabka saath sabka vikas' than the cheerleaders.
You extended a hand on Tuesday. Here's mine, if you'll have it.
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