Eye-opener for Modi
The credit for the dramatic win of India over Sri Lanka in Twenty20 cricket match on Feb. 10 goes to the Pathan brothers. The whole Indian nation applauded the efforts of Irfan and Yusuf Pathan. They have proved that they are the proud sons of India.
There are mainly two industries in India, which have never been infected by the communal virus: The film industry and sports. If the Khans (Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman) reign supreme in films, the talent of Sania Mirza, Zaheer Khan and the Pathan brothers is duly recognized.
The religion of the sportsman, and to which part of the country he belongs, does not and should not matter at all. But ironically, Zaheer Khan and the Pathan brothers come from the state of Gujarat, which saw the worst pogrom of Muslims under Narendra Modi's rule in 2002. In ordinary circumstances, the state's chief minister is the first person to congratulate its heroes. However, Modi finds himself in a very precarious situation. The glory of the Pathan brothers deflates his politics of hate and division.
It should be an eye-opener for the Modis and the Togadias that no country can progress by persecuting or marginalizing a section of its society. If India is to emerge as a superpower, then participation of every section of society and every individual is a must. The politicians have to give up the politics of hate for short-term petty gains. They have to create an atmosphere in which every citizen finds it his duty for nation building. If this doctrine is not followed by the Hindu fundamentalists, then history will remember them as "pseudo-nationalists" if not anti-nationals.
Dr. Syed Riaz Mehdi, Riyadh published 16 February 2009
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