The political discourse in the Country has only got murkier as each day passes. We’re at a conjuncture in history where this decade (2020-30) can make or break the future prospects of India in all holistic fronts be it in the ever-changing world of International relations, matters concerning uplifting India’s economic dominance at the world stage, eradicating poverty in the nation, incurring of rampant domestic investments along with FDIs, and so forth. Our nation cannot afford to endorse any negative limelight be it on any trivial issue concerning religious hate-mongering irrespective of faiths and cultures.
Of late, we as a collective Indian society have let our nation down by trying to debate on things that are a part of our lengthy civilisational history. Most television debates on the Indian prime-time news channels concerning Hindu-Muslim commentaries have the potential to do more bad than good. The narrative is built over loose facts instead of proper and curated discourse. There should be an effort by the media associations that the live telecast of debates on our TV screens should be at-least ten minutes delayed so that any untoward act of provocation or loose-talk can be prevented from having it telecasted live so that if at all there exists any whataboutery statement made during an interview of debate, it could be averted through genuine curation without having it telecasted live, and fostering to the world an uncanny public discourse. It certainly is a duty under the moral and ethical obligations of the various national media networks present in India.
The recent incident of Nupur Sharma, a senior BJP spokesperson, was sacked and suspended by the party because she made a certain statement citing religious texts about Islam on a live TV debate which was in poor taste. The city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh saw massive protests and hooliganism, marking an aftermath of her statements earlier. There were also several international backlashes to this event. Countries like Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Islamic nations have also tweeted through their official handles showing their displeasure regarding the entire matter involving Nupur Sharma. We must have the freedom to criticise any thing as we live in a free nation, but at the same time we should also refrain from commentaries that provokes the religious sentiments of any community – be it of the Hindus or the Muslims, or any other religion or faith followed by the citizenry of this great nation of ours. The Government should be impartial when it comes to booking any individual irrespective of his or her religious affinity, who tries to bring discomfort to the public discourse of the land and aid in the scuffles between communities on religious lines.
Prior to the incident of Nupur Sharma that had made headlines across the world, there were TV debates on the Gyanvapi Mosque matter. And, in the run up to the videography survey reports of the Mosque premises when there was a “Shivalinga” shaped object discovered and it was telecasted throughout the primetime news channels, it did occur many a times that the resemblance of the “discovered object” to that of a Hindu “Shivalinga” was ridiculed and discarded collectively by majority of the muslim think-tanks and members of various opposition ideologues on face value. There were also several casual remarks being passed on the media and memes being made on the internet that has hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus as well. But, certainly no action has been taken either by the Indian government or by their respective political parties.
Nupur Sharma’s track record in the BJP is otherwise that of an exemplary spokesperson and a strong voice of the women in this country. If one poor remark on a live TV channel can land her suspended from the party, then it certainly reflects about admirable internal democracy in her party. Regarding hurting of Hindu sentiments, or for that matter any religious sentiments, it should be the prerogative of the Central Government of India to enact a law or amend the IT Act of 2000, to make provisions for offenders who resort to verbal insults and uncanny remarks upon any holy book or religious faiths, to have them booked under the law and bar them from appearing on any TV media networks operating within India. It is only then, healthier debates on various issues may take place without the noise and the unnecessary hate-mongering on the national television channels, and the virtues of secularism may proliferate.
Thank You.
– Banraj Kalita