Badal prioritizes religious duties - Indian secular fabric in danger

May 25: India is no more a secular country. Here the people at the helm of affairs are free to remain dedicated towards their respective religions even when they are supposed to follow the sacred traditions of the secularist nature of the polity.

The religious controversy initiated by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has brought the shocking revelation.

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Punjab Chief Minister, who incidentally is a part and parcel of Shri Moni Akali Dal and SGPC (religious body) openly favoured the Sikh clergy and the public at large while openly targeting Dera chief.

With the uttering of the Chief Minister, he brought his claim of statesmanship under scrutiny. Should Parkash Singh Badal give priority to his chair or religion? Secular polity within the country might vouch for former, which should be the case, but he opted for latter.

By blaming Dera and his followers for everything which went wrong in the state and later on in many parts of the country, Badal has initiated a new trend ? state?s religious policy should be that of the people in power.

In a country which always remained at the receiving end of religious frenzy the trend might be decisive but suicidal. Punjab is just following the trend started by its big brother at the centre, Bharatiya Janta Party, in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Badal openly supported SGPC decree against Dera chief further adding salt to the wounds of Dera followers.

No doubt, Dera chief should be booked for hurting religious sentiments but the approach shown by the so called ?secular? chief minister of the secular state of secular country is something to take serious note off.

Dera Chief created a controversy when he appeared in attire similar to the one worn by the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and distributed amrit (nectar) to his followers at his Dera in Sirsa, Haryana.

Till now various organizations are trying to persuade him to apologise for the act which he has declined till now.

Similar action has been taken against some Christians missionaries by the state and when same missionaries were attacked by the people of majority community, administration remained calm and quite.
If India has to protect its much boosted religious plurality and integration, it is high time for her to take serious action and take firm stand against this communal approach.