“The old ways of communalism are not working and Modi has shifted to a new secular-speak,” says sociologist Shiv Vishwanathan. “He is saying, ‘I am offering you an option — join the mainstream. Take development. Minimise your demands for justice.’ Secular-speak is always in the language of economic rationality. Investment can be calculated, so it is rational. Anything outside this is subjective, ethnic and irrationaI. In secular-speak ‘and’ is no longer available: ethnic and citizen, Muslim and Indian, seeking justice and mobility.”
AS MODI was fasting for sadbhavana, riot victims demanding justice were prevented from entering the venue and detained. Their protest is a surface symptom of their long-standing anger and eternal wait for justice. Forget the past, seems to be the Modi government’s suggestion. But will the future be secure in any way?
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