After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, had the head of communalism been crushed firmly at that very moment, the country could have been saved from destruction.

After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, had the head of communalism been crushed firmly at that very moment, the country could have been saved from destruction

The present condition of the country is not what our elders had dreamed of

Ask us what freedom really means—we are the ones who made sacrifices

By Maulana Arshad Madani

President, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind

What I am about to say may sound strange, but it is an undeniable fact that after independence, the flexible policy adopted by the Congress during its rule toward politics of hatred based on religion caused severe damage to both the country and the Constitution. Seventy-seven years after independence, the manner in which the Constitution and democratic values are being openly trampled upon is something that even our leaders of the freedom movement could not have imagined. If the Constitution had been implemented honestly and fully along the very lines on which the foundations of free India were laid, we would not be witnessing these days today.

We are not saying this casually; historically, it is an unfortunate truth. From the very beginning, Congress leaders perhaps out of some fear adopted a soft and flexible stance against religiously driven politics of hatred. Communal forces were treated with leniency, and strict legal action against them, as required by the Constitution and law, was avoided. As a result, communal forces were given ample opportunity to grow and strengthen.

Communal forces were behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Had communalism been crushed at that very time, the country could have been saved from devastation. After Partition, when anti-Muslim riots erupted across the country, Mahatma Gandhi went on a fast to stop them. This did not sit well with communal forces, and even with some senior leaders within the Congress. They turned against him, and ultimately he was assassinated. In our view, the killing of a great personality like Mahatma Gandhi was the killing of the country’s secularism itself. Sadly, what the Congress leadership should have done at that time, it failed to do.

The leadership of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind repeatedly demanded that the Congress leadership put an end to this madness of communalism, but regrettably, this demand was not taken seriously, which further emboldened communal elements. Today’s generation is unaware of this history that even before independence, the senior leaders of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind had obtained a written assurance from Congress leaders that after independence the country’s Constitution would be secular and would guarantee complete religious freedom to all religious minorities.

However, after independence and the Partition of the country, a significant section of Congress leaders joined those who argued that since a separate country had been created for Muslims in the name of religion, India’s Constitution should no longer be secular. At that moment, the leadership of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind firmly held the Congress leaders accountable and told them that if the country had been divided, it was they, not us, who had signed that document, and therefore they must fulfill their promise. Consequently, a secular Constitution was framed, but the roots of communalism continued to grow silently and deeply. Despite persistent insistence by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, no effective restraint was placed on it, even though the Congress was in power at the Centre and in all the provinces at that time. Had it wished, it could have enacted strict laws against communalism. But due to the flexible policy it adopted, communal forces kept becoming stronger.

If the Congress had taken the same strict stand against communalism 77 years ago that it claims to be taking now, it would not have been ousted from power, and the country would not have reached the brink of destruction.

The India that our elders, who sacrificed for the country’s freedom, had envisioned was certainly not this. They dreamed of an India where all its inhabitants would rise above race, caste, and religion and live together in peace and harmony. No history of India, whether of independence or otherwise, can be complete without mention of its religious scholars. The freedom movement of India was initiated by scholars and Muslims, who awakened the masses to the reality of slavery at a time when few could even imagine it. The first flag of rebellion against British rule in India was raised from a madrasa by the country’s greatest scholar, Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi (ra). When other communities were asleep, our elders and scholars had ignited the flame of freedom.

We also wish to remind those who deliberately ignore the true history of the country that it was our elders who rebelled against the tyrannical British rulers and established a government-in-exile in Kabul, appointing a Hindu king, Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, as its president. This was because our elders rose above religion and stood for unity and humanity alone in their struggle to free the country from the chains of slavery.

The past and present of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind testify that it has always made positive efforts to preserve the country’s unity, integrity, and solidarity, and has opposed the partition of the country. Shoes were garlanded around our necks, and fatwas of disbelief were issued against us, yet Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind did not retreat even an inch from its stance. We love the Constitution because it is the document that safeguards the country’s unity, integrity, and solidarity, and in whose light we can shape the nation’s future and make it prosperous and a model for the entire world.

In our view, the Constitution is the foundation stone of democracy; if it is displaced, the grand edifice of democracy will not stand. That is why we often say: If the Constitution survives, the country will survive. Over the past few years, the one-sided politics being pursued in the country has put a question mark over the very existence of the Constitution. In such a situation, it is not only our responsibility but the fundamental duty of all citizens who believe in the Constitution and democracy to step forward to protect it. For if the supremacy of the Constitution ends, democracy too will not survive.

The freedom and democracy that are being loudly proclaimed across the world today are the result of the long struggle and sacrifices of our elders and forefathers. The basic objective of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is to ensure the supremacy of democracy and the protection of the Constitution, while reviving the centuries-old tradition of peace, harmony, mutual brotherhood, and love.

For any civilized and developed society, justice and peace are the greatest measures of progress. It is the fundamental duty of every ruler to provide justice to the people. Sadly, instead of this, the biased mindset of communal forces is deliberately conspiring to push a particular community against the wall. Instead of engaging the youth in constructive activities, they are being turned into instruments of destruction and hatred. Biased media has become the biggest source of lies and provocation. How ironic it is that on one hand oaths are taken on the Constitution, while on the other its guiding principles are being torn apart.

It is the responsibility of every ruler to reassure the minorities of the country, and all this is happening despite the fact that the secular Constitution still exists in its original form, guaranteeing not only special rights but complete religious freedom to minorities. This is the very secular Constitution for which our elders made sacrifices for one and a half centuries to free the country from slavery.

The most unfortunate aspect is that some political parties that call themselves secular are supporting and aiding communal forces merely to gain power, which can never be a good sign for a stable democracy. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every citizen, Hindu, Muslim, and others, to promote peace, unity, and brotherhood in the face of communalism and to openly oppose politics of hatred. Given how explosive the situation has become, continued silence may turn this politics of hatred into a grave threat to the country’s peace and unity.