Singh Parivar

In Murli Manohar Joshi8217;s and Arjun Singh8217;s ministerial efforts we have had proof that radically different political ideologies can yield strikingly similar administrative praxis. Generally, therefore, our assessments of the two have been similar. It appears however we have been unfair to Singh. His 8216;secularism8217; is made of stronger stuff than Joshi8217;s 8216;Hindutva8217;. As this newspaper reported on Sunday, Joshi clearly failed to carry out his 8216;mandate8217; in at least one respect. Foreign scholars were not only given visas on time 8212; poof of a weak state 8212; their choice of research subjects raised no saffron flag. A state inconsistently committed to political correctness as then defined.

So, if all Joshi has to show for himself is asking for a semantic change in a research title, he must swallow his pride and learn from Singh: A Fulbright scholar only had to mention 8216;Muslim8217; in his/her academic plans for Singh8217;s HRD ministry to throw an impenetrable protective cover over the country8217;s 8216;secular fabric8217;. Joshi8217;s HRD, in contrast, failed to spot the subversive implications against the Hindu Rashtra in such research topics as 8220;Local roots of religious nationalism8221;, 8220;Celebrating the living goddess8221; and 8220;Playing in the Lord8217;s playground8221;. Even a study proposal about 8220;Brahma Kumaris and globalisation8221; 8212; the sacred and the swadeshi, both seemed to be targets 8212; was allowed.

There are of course those who will say that Joshi, whatever his reasons, served his country better in this respect. That HRD acting as a paranoid gatekeeper of the nation8217;s socio-political morals does neither the country nor those morals any good. That Singh8217;s ministry8217;s approach to scholar visas produces situations like an American-Muslim filmmaker being denied permission to document the secularising potential of education as seen through the experience of a young Muslim girl. These same people will argue that 8216;secularism8217; as defined by Singh8217;s ministry obliterates all content from multi-religious, multi-ethnic India8217;s defining value system and, thus weakened, makes it vulnerable to attacks from religious extremists. That Singh seems to have a curious disrespect for Indian Islam8217;s cultural confidence. But we know Arjun Singh will be unmoved. He has a job to do. Not for him the Joshi-like occasional namby-pamby liberal indulgence.