ayodhya and cwg: what next

The past week saw two events, which were met with widespread accolades in the media and the establishment in general, but which are likely to have far-reaching repercussions. The first was the Ayodhya verdict. The endless self-congratulatory pats on the back accorded by the politicos and the media are harping on the victory of the country’s ‘secular credentials’. But even the staunchest pro-majority fundamentalist will have to accede that the verdict has a strong bias towards the Hindus. There may not be any immediate fall-outs of the verdict, but have we tried to examine the reasons behind it and its long-term implications?

The Indian Muslim has over the years become less inclined to direct confrontations, not because of any mellowing of the fundamentalism. Fundamentalism has, on the contrary, risen over the years. But lately, the tendency is to play the wronged martyr, rather than the aggressor. The reason for this is the corresponding shift is the Hindu majority’s changing outlook towards intolerance and aggressive self-assertion and the Islamist fundamentalists’ realization that a direct confrontation is likely to have a much more negative impact on the Muslims rather than the Hindus. There has been a significant shift in the stands of the judiciary and the establishment as well. While earlier there was a tendency to appease the Muslims, the appeasement has now tilted towards the Hindus, largely because the Hindu fundamentalist has become more prone to immediate violent reactions. This does not imply that the Muslims have become more tolerant. In fact the ‘wronged’ consciousness is what has resulted in the spate of terrorist attacks. Islamic fundamentals now hit back at the presumed atrocities in a much more damaging manner. Most terrorist attacks have cited the Gujarat riots or the Masjid demolitions as their justifications for the attacks. This verdict provides the self-appointed protectors of the Indian Muslim with another excuse for playing upon his emotions and insecurities. So, even though there has not been any immediate ramification, the long-term prospects are ominous.

The second event which has drawn even more self-aggrandizement is the apparent success of the CWG opening ceremony. Whether or not the event matched international standards is a matter of one’s own perception. However, the sudden shift in the media’s standpoint from rubbishing everything about the games to hailing the event is also likely to have negative upshots over the years. The fact that the country is willing to overlook the extravagant and profligate expenditure, which could have been put to far better uses will give the establishment another opportunity to vie for future events of this magnitude. Which means, more corruption, more mismanagement, and most importantly, more wasteful expenditure. And can we afford such extravagance when more than half of the country is struggling to garner two square meals a day? Significantly, the fallout of both these events has been dictated by the media, which has become a proxy establishment by itself. The media claims that India has become more mature, going by the response to the Ayodhya verdict, and playing to the gallery, it professes that the CWG has enhanced the country’s international stature. But examine it closely, and it becomes evident that such claims are just eyewash and the ground reality cannot be any farther from these assertions.

So, while we may be rejoicing now, we would have much more reasons to regret these incidents in the years to come.