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path of self defeat

There is enough experience now that identity-based polarization does not lead to liberation. On the contrary, they entangle the society in a vicious circle.

When after the victory of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Punjab Assembly elections, party chief Arvind Kejriwal decided to replace Mahatma Gandhi’s picture with Bhagat Singh and Dr. BR Ambedkar in all government offices in Punjab and Delhi, perhaps it was called the party Rajendra Pal Gautam, the leader of the party and minister in Delhi, took it more seriously. He probably thought that now his party will really follow the path shown by Bhagat Singh and Dr. Ambedkar. And that is why he participated in the ceremony on ‘Ashok Vijay Dashami’, reiterating the pledge not to believe in Hindu gods and goddesses, which Dr. Ambedkar had given to his followers when they embraced Buddhism. But Gautam could not understand that the liberal and progressive atmosphere in which there was no risk in such debates and actions, that atmosphere has now changed. So the Bharatiya Janata Party made an issue of repetitive action. And Kejriwal decided to sacrifice Gautam politically according to the same calculation, under which he had got the pictures of Dr. Ambedkar installed.

However, this issue is not just related to any party or leader. It is related to the wider political environment, which has become a country with the passage of time. It can be said that such discussions based on caste and sect identity have also contributed in creating this atmosphere, which in their exuberance gave power to counter-polarisation. There is enough experience in the world now that such polarizations – regardless of which side they come from, do not pave the way for liberation. On the contrary, they entangle the society in such a vicious circle, in which the real questions of everyday life are removed from the agenda. The ruling classes benefiting from this give further air to such polarizations according to their convenience. In such a situation, the politics of faith and identity becomes a path of self-defeating for those groups which have been marginalized or marginalised. It is unfortunate that the parties, leaders and intellectuals who claim to represent the interests of those sections are still unable to understand it.

Shubham Bangwal

Shubham Bangwal is a Senior Journalist at Youthistaan.com You can follow him on Twitter @sb_0fficial
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