Recently, Kancha Ilaiah published a column titled ‘Is God a Democrat?’ It was an argument on democracy and faith. In it, the Dalit intellectual suggested that monotheism, or the belief in a formless god, and the values of prophets like Jesus Christ and Buddha promoted democracy while ‘cults’ of individual deities of the Hindu pantheon like Vishnu have been hurdles to democracy.
It is a somewhat sweeping generalisation and there could be a number of counter-arguments. But these are not something the Vishva Hindu Parishad is adept at formulating. Instead, its members use the convenient label of ‘hurting religious sentiments’ to file a case against Ilaiah and the newspaper Andhra Jyothy that published the column. While it happened a month ago, it has come to light in the media now. The Hyderabad Police, on the public prosecutor’s advice, have applied several sections of the Indian Penal Code against Ilaiah.
It will take more than such tactics to curb free speech in India, but each time a petty religious zealot manages to use the ‘religious sentiment’ card successfully it encourages others like him to follow suit. Ilaiah’s supporters released a statement on 27 May saying, ‘Today, Kancha Ilaiah’s writings are making the world think afresh. Only communal bigots are unable to understand those ideas.’
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