Tue. Mar 19th, 2024
By Kumarrajendran at en.wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

VHP’s Ram Rajya Rath Yatra in Tamil Nadu was anything but a peaceful affair. DMK took the onus to protest the yatra creating much ruckus in Tamil Nadu on 20th March.

When DMK’s protest began in the House, the MLAs were evicted for causing chaos in the House. Chief Minister K Palaniswami blamed DMK for using the situation to gain a political upper hand. Slogans were raised by DMK against the AIADMK. MK Stalin protested the entry of the yatra into the state.

The Chief Minister said that the yatra hadn’t faced any backlash in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala, which it covered before entering Tamil Nadu, the yatra is expected to end at Thiruvananthapuram on March 23rd. The Rath Yatra is being organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad to gain support for the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Palaniswami said rightfully the India is a democratic country where all religions would be given an equal amount of freedom.

MK Stalin’s stand is that the Yatra will disrupt communal harmony in Tamil Nadu which will, in turn, affect the law and order in the state. When removed from the House they took to the streets. Tirunelveli District collector Sandeep Nanduri on 19th March had imposed Section 144 on the district from the 19th to the 23rd to prevent communal disruptions. Stalin called it religious extremism, he also said in the past that the Rath yatra would amount to contempt of court, the Ram temple issue is still pending in the Supreme Court.

It can be taken for granted that such a yatra is bound to raise eyebrows everywhere. The problem with a democracy is the fact that the line that divides secularism and extremism is very thin. While maybe the yatra should on democratic grounds be allowed, the content of the yatra and the reason behind it must be questioned. The yatra isn’t a subtle hint at the growing communal clash that will erupt sooner rather than later. It’s a blatant display of divisive communal politics. In the name of democracy, what goes and doesn’t go is an important issue for the educated to think about. When one champions one side of an argument and silences another, it’s not a democracy.

By Sahitya