India: Hindu Agenda in Madhya Pradesh

The right-wing Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh is offering unlawful and undemocratic privileges to the Hindus. In an effort to woo voters before elections next year, the Madhya Pradesh government is engaged in a deliberate bid to create discord among different religious communities through its policies. One such endeavor is the introduction of Gita—a 700-verse Hindu scripture that was part of the ancient Sanskrit epic The Mahabharata—into the school syllabus. 

The government also went ahead with its plan by organizing mass Surya Namaskar (obeisance or prostrations to the sun) in government schools in December, in spite of protests from members of the minority community. Both these measures came in the wake of the toughened cow-slaughter law, which raised the maximum penalty from three to seven years imprisonment for cow slaughter in the state.

Surya Namaskar

The state government’s program of Surya Namaskar in Madhya Pradesh marked the 150th birth anniversary of spiritual leader Swami Vivekanand. This exercise was performed in more than 60,000 educational institutions across the state, on the government’s instruction to all district collectors to organize this program for students on the same day. The program was compulsory for government schools, but officials were asked to encourage private institutions to join in.

According to Hindu literature and belief, Surya Namaskar is a sequence of 10 simple asanas (Yoga postures) performed gracefully. Surya Namaskar is a Sun Salutation that is traditionally performed at dawn facing the rising sun. Its roots can be found in the yoga philosophy of Vedic traditions. The routine helps develop all five personality levels, namely physical, prana, mental, intellectual, and spiritual. This helps individuals to lead a very healthy lifestyle with a profound sense of well-being.

Muslim leaders termed the bowing before the sun un-Islamic. Muslim clergy even issued a fatwa against this program of the government, stating strict Islamic prohibition of bowing before any object. Muslim leaders from various organizations in the state urged Muslim students to boycott this “un-Islamic” program.

“It was yet another attempt to hurt the sentiments of other religions by the BJP government,” said Mufti Sayyed Babbar Hussain to “Islam Online”.

“We are not against Surya Namaskar and Yoga, but such programs should not be organized by the state government. They should work towards promoting communal harmony,” he added.

Christian leaders also opposed the program of the state government, terming it an attempt to impose Hindu culture on students from other communities. The Isai Mahasangh (Christian Union) opposed the event and termed the government’s move as unconstitutional. The Spokesperson of the Catholic Church Father Anand Muttungal said to “Islam Online”, “The government should not impose the practices of one religion on children of other religions.”

The government defended the program. “The sun is neither saffron nor green. It has nothing to do with any religion or religious ritual or ceremony. Surya Namaskar is a healthy yogic exercise. And we are not imposing it. It is not mandatory for all. Surya Namaskar is a healthy exercise, which has been ratified by scientists and health experts across the world. We want children to adopt a healthy lifestyle; that is our only aim through this program”, said State School Education Minister Archana Chitnis in an official press release.

Teaching Bhagavad Gita in Schools

The Madhya Pradesh government is also in the process of introducing Bhagavad Gita in to the school curriculum starting July 2012. Bhagavad Gita also known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.  The book consists of sayings of Lord Sri Krishna to Arjuna.

The context of the Gita is a conversation between Lord Krishna and the Pandava prince Arjuna, taking place in the middle of the battlefield at Kurukshetra with armies on both sides ready to battle.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while talking to “Islam Online”, said, “We are going to include Gita in the school curriculum from next session. The court has issued its verdict in our favor. We treat Gita as a book on Indian philosophy and not a religious book.”

Both Christians and Muslims have opposed the introduction of Gita in schools. Father Anand Muttungal initiated a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) law suit in the Madhya Pradesh High Court (MPHC), which was dismissed on 27th January. The Catholic Church has also approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking to include texts of sacred books of all other religions in the school curriculum along with the Gita.

The Bench of Justices Ajit Singh and Sanjay Yadav refused relief to the litigant saying, “The Gita is essentially a book on Indian philosophy and not a book on Indian religion.” The petitioner’s counsel Rajesh Chand had contended that the Gita was a religious book and hence summaries of other religious books should also be incorporated in the school curriculum, reported Press Trust of India (PTI).

Father Anand Muttungal said, “We are not against the introduction of Gita in the school curriculum. Books of other religions should also be taught in schools. (The presence of) Religious texts of one particular community in the school syllabus is unconstitutional.” He is now hoping to take the battle to the Supreme Court.

Cow Slaughter Act

The Madhya Pradesh government recently amended the law to make punishments harsher for cow slaughter in the state. The amended Act provides that “no person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered or offered for slaughter of any cow progeny by any means”.

Additionally, the law also provides that “no person including transporters shall transport or offer for transport or cause to be transported any cow progeny himself or by his agent, servant or by any other person acting in his behalf within the State or outside the State for the purpose of its slaughter in contravention of the provisions of this Act or with the knowledge that it will be or is likely to be slaughtered”.

But apprehensions have been raised by many about the misuse of the Act, and harassment of people from minority communities by the police. The provision gives immense powers to police and prosecution.

Leader of the Opposition in state assembly Ajay Singh accused the state government of implementing the Hindu agenda in the state.

“The government has failed to perform in the state. Now they are playing the communal card before elections next year. Their only policy is to divide people on the basis of religion. We will expose the communal agenda of the government”, Ajay Singh said in a written statement to “Islam Online”.

“The government is trying to prove itself to be the custodian of Hindus. And, when communal agenda is sought to be implemented among school-going children, the issue becomes more disconcerting. Any government cannot and must not be allowed to enforce the constitution selectively for any particular community”, he added.