New Delhi: You have heard of 'Deferred Live', a novel television concept that plays out old stuff and expects viewers to accept it as live coverage. Now you have a brand new concept called Deferred Secularism. And the credit for evolving this politician-friendly concept should go entirely to Orissa's chief minister Naveen Patnaik who has not only been hugely successful in putting it to practice but has also managed to secure the stamp of approval from the NCP, the Left and an influential section of the media.
What is the USP of this new concept ? Well there too many advantages, but the most important of course is that it allows the user to camouflage this highly potent weapon as long as it is necessary or expedient and press the button only when the most opportune moment arrives.
At long last on Wednesday, the 8th of April 2009, Naveen Patnaik lashed out at his 11-year-old ally, the BJP accusing the party of spreading the venom of communalism across the country and masterminding anti-Christian riots in Kandhmal. This was the first ever time in last 11 years when the BJD supremo was spitting venom against the BJP in public. This was also the first time after the split with the BJP that Mr Patnaik was making Kandhmal an issue.
It all happened in the course of a press conference at his residence jointly addressed by him, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM and the NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Mr Patnaik said it was the Saffron brigade which was behind the horrific acts of killing and destruction. He also claimed he had dropped broad hints about his disenchantment with the BJP during TV interviews he had with Barkha Dutt of the NDTV and Karan Thapar of the CNN-IBN.He also claimed he had made it clear that every bone in his body was secular and that he had taken tough action against the Saffron brigade including some local BJP workers.
"You should have read those hints"- he told reporters curious to know why it took so long to realize that BJP was a communal party and that they had played a prominent role in the Kandhmal riots. He, of course, did not make it clear why both he and his party kept on saying that Kandhmal was never an issue between the alliance partners and that it was the BJP which had ditched the BJD and not the other way round ! The official BJD line was : winnability of candidates was the main factor and what forced the party to fight the elections separately was BJP's unreasonable demand for seats that they could never win.
So far the media and friendly politicians have defended Naveen Patnaik as someone whose secular credentials can not be questioned. I entirely agree with this assessment of the man we have watched over the last decade. But the question is : are we talking about Naveen Patnaik, the person or Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister ? And don't we know, people should be judged not on the basis of what they have to say about themselves but their deeds and acts?
No violence was reported on 24 August 2008, the day after Swami Laxmananand and 4 others were killed by a group of armed Maoists on the ground that he was behind the attacks on Christians.That day the state government, fully aware of the volatile situation, had allowed the VHP leader Praveen Bhai Togadia to visit Kandhmal. Large-scale violence broke out the very next day when an all-Orissa Bandh was called by the Sangh Parivaar.
Similarly, no action was taken against the BJP ministers who in gross defiance of the curfew orders had participated in Swami ji's funeral procession, an event that triggered the riots in Kandhmal. Elsewhere the communal fire was dowsed within the next 2 days but it continued to consume Kandhmal till as late as October 2008.
What was the chief minister doing to protect the minority community during the first four weeks of the 2008 riots ? Is it not true that several Christian leaders, appalled by the inaction of the state machinery, had sought Centre's immediate intervention in Kandhmal. What made the Christians feel even more insecure was the breakfast meeting the chief minister had with the VHP chief Ashok Singhal. Later Singhal told the media he had warned Mr Patnaik of a strong backlash if he chose to go against the sentiments of the Hindus.
It was a time when violent mobs had a free run across Kandhmal while the administration and the police watched helplessly. The state government's stand was that it was a difficult terrain and that the Centre was sluggish in responding to the demands for more paramilitary forces.
As the newspaper and television reports during that period would tell you, the first arrests of the Hindutva activists came after a month of uncontrolled violence and only after a report by Parvati Menon of the Hindu on the rape of a nun in K.Nuagaon shocked the nation. It was only when the image-conscious Patnaik was described as a Modi No 2 that things changed. And the ultimate threat of President's Rule did work.
Let us get back to the ' historic' joint press conference on 8 April in Bhubaneswar, described by the NCP leader DP Tripathy as a path-breaking event in national politics. Much to the relief of Naveen Patnaik, the NCP boss Sharad Pawar and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury informed the reporters present at the press conference as well people across the state watching the show live on television that the Orissa chief minister had not only shared his anguish over the BJP's villainous role in Kandhmal with them long ago but also promised them he would teach BJP a lesson at an opportune moment.
Lauding Naveen Patnaik's bold decision to snap ties with the "communal party" Mr Pawar defended Naveen Patnaik's 'deferred secularism' by saying in politics one has to take care of the 'timing'.
Yes, timing! That is the catchword and the key to a proper understanding of the new concept of Deferred Secularism, a 100% safe and dependable method of fighting communal forces in the most comfortable manner possible. It allows you to get away with everything and offers you the privilege of choosing the time when you can afford to put your foot down and reveal your truly secular 'avtaar'.
It matters little if the opportune time comes long after dozens of people have been killed, thousands of houses burnt and hundreds of places of worship, razed to the ground. In politics it is Power that matters and the art of sticking to Power is what matters the most. And as the Orissa chief minister has shown, deferred secularism is much more effective political tool than the old-fashioned secularism we know of. (eom)