Elections in Gujarat have always been interesting for two and half decades. Like Lutyens in Delhi is often accused of not knowing what actually is happening in Uttar Pradesh, outsiders do not fathom what really works in Gujarat.
Some may vouch that it is the development, others say it is the Acche Din and corruption-free governance but Gujaratis know what “retains” the BJP elections after elections in Gujarat. And that is raw, muscular Hindutva.
With crucial Assembly elections coming up in 2022 in Gujarat, Hindutva will be the main stake. The ball has started rolling in Gujarat. A typical BJP style is to first test the waters. It starts at lower levels and then slowly will be pushed aggressively.
Since last two months, despite gross Covid mismanagement in Gujarat, small time BJP leaders have openly said that they are ready to give BJP yet another chance in 2022 because otherwise, Muslims will hit back and Hindutva will be in danger in the hands of Congress or AAP or anyone other than the BJP.
Now it was the turn of the deputy chief minister of Gujarat to make a comment. There was no better stage and opportunity. The till now-nearly defunct Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Gujarat has started getting active and at an event of an idol installation of Bharat Mata, the deputy chief minister made it clear.
Support Hindutva. Keep Hindutva in majority. If Hindutva loses majority, the minorities will become stronger. The unsaid was the most important part at which people cheered up the deputy chief minister. He left the word hanging that if Hindutva is not a majority then…..
And after a pause he said, “constitution of India will not exist and nor will secularism”, hinting that if minorities meaning Muslims become majority they will not let our Indian Constitution also to exist. exists as long as Hindus are in the majority, and once the community is in the minority, “nothing will remain”.
To ensure that he does not hurt all sentiments, the deputy chief minister specified “I am not talking about all Muslims or all Christians. Many of them are patriots”, he said. He did not speak out the obvious but the crowd understood the meaning. Many of them are patriots means many of them are betrayers and anti-nationals.
“May Bhagwan (Lord) prevent this from happening, but if in another 1,000-2,000 years, the number of Hindus goes down, and the number of people from another religion increases, there will be no courts, Lok Sabha, Constitution, secularism…they will all vanish in thin air, nothing will remain,” Patel said. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja, along with top VHP and RSS leaders were present at the ceremony. The message was clear. Produce more children in Hindu homes so that Muslims do not become a majority.
Patel, in his nearly 37-minute speech said,“ In our country, some people talk about Constitution, secularism. But I tell you, and if you want to video record this, then do it…Note down my words. Those talking about the Constitution, secularism, law etc will do so only till Hindus are in majority in this country… The day… the number of Hindus decrease, of others’ increases, [there will be] no secularism, no Lok Sabha, no Constitution. Everything will be (tossed) in the air and buried. Nothing will remain,”he warned of how “they will make life difficult”.
He further clarified his stance. “I am not talking about all. I must clarify that as well. Lakhs of Muslims are deshhakts (patriots), lakhs of Christians are deshbhakts. Thousands of Muslims are in the Indian Armed Forces. Thousands of Muslims are in the Gujarat Police force. All of them are desh-bhakts.”
Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act
The Deputy CM also addressed the topic of the state’s controversial anti-conversion law — the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 — enacted by the government to prevent forcible religious conversion by marriages. Certain sections of the Act have been stayed by the High Court after a couple of petitions challenged the constitutionality of the law’s provisions, and the Gujarat government has stated that it will challenge the stay order in the Supreme Court.
Patel said that he has come to know that the writ petition challenging the Act has been moved by a certain organisation. “I want to ask that organisation what objections they have if Hindu girls marry Hindus, Muslim girls marry Muslims, Christian girls marry Christians, Sikh girls marry Sikhs…Let me clarify. If a Hindu boy betrays an innocent Muslim girl, this law applies to him also… So, this law is not with reference to a specific religion,” he said.
Patel also questioned why only specific people are concerned about the law and have approached the court. Instead, he said, people should support and congratulate the BJP-ruled Gujarat government for bringing the law for the unity of the state and for the protection of girls of every religion. Last month, the Gujarat chapter of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind filed a petition, claiming that some of the amended sections of the state’s new law were unconstitutional.
