Overcoming Paralysis of Social Action

By Dr. Babu Suseelan

In the face of mounting social policies against Hindus in India by the secular government, questions about the role of Hindu organizations have fueled a debate about the paralysis of social action strategies. Has the development of social action against discrimination against Hindus become paralyzed? Has the social organizations reached the point at which it is unable or unwilling to address important social needs of Hindus? Why this pervasive paralysis occurring? How can Hindus break the logjam?

Evidence of Paralysis

The evidence of paralysis of social action is well known. Hindus are systematically murdered, assaulted, discriminated, subjugated and oppressed in India especially in Kashmir, Nagaland, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Hindu Temples are under the control of atheists and non-believers. Hindus are discriminated continuously by the central and State government through educational, financial and social policies. Jihadi terrorists, Missionary mafia, Naxal anarchists, subversive agents and criminals have a free hand in disturbing peace and tranquility as well as creating social crisis, violence and terrorism.

In the name of secularism, government is diverting Hindu temple resources for subsidizing Hajj pilgrimage for Muslims. Christians are provided funding for visiting the Pope and Jerusalem. India is the only country in the world where Muslims are financed for Hajj where Muslims are required to behead animals.

On balance, however, social policy development within the central government does seem to be aimed at helping only Muslims and Christians. There is very little real movement toward addressing social problems of the country. The most obvious symptom of the appeasement policy is visible for special allocation of funding for Muslims. These arrangements have disturbing consequences. When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed a campaign for special allocation for funding for Muslims against all constitutional norms, there was no organized protest. When the Prime Minister demands budget for Muslim appeasement, the sense of paralysis spreads rapidly.

Several evidence of the paralysis is apparent in the political parties. In the past, the historical role of the Congress party has been to support Muslims instead of nationalist Hindus. Something just short of a total paralysis has beset the Marxists when Muslims are appeased. The absence of any Marxist protest against Hajj subsidy has been especially striking. The Marxist government in Kerala while looting Temple funds is reluctant to provide amenities for Hindu pilgrimages visiting sacred Sabarimala because it is not likely to show an immediate political reward.

The social paralysis goes well beyond political parties. On the issue of emancipation of Hindu temples virtually everyone acknowledges that state governments are unwilling to control, or manage Islamic Mosques or Christian Churches. While the demands for Hindu temples for Hindus mounting in Kerala, the Marxist government has taken over rich Hindu temples in Malabar.

What is lacking in Hindu organization’s list of existing strategies for the liberation of Hindu temples is any sense of effective social action. Policy statement for changes in Temple Administration reflects a significant narrowing of the social action horizon. It lacks effective and unified action strategies. Hindus have a well-deserved reputation for non-participation especially on controversial issues. It is rare for Hindus to express displeasure and protest policies affecting Hindus. They do so because of their built in tolerance, denial, apathy and indifference. However, many Hindu groups are organizing to protest such discriminatory practices. Yet even as they organize, the impasse in effective social action dims the chances for their success. What is lacking in Hindu organization’s existing action plan for human rights and justice is any sense of effective, result oriented, unified action plan.

As concern about Hindu groups inertia has grown over the past decade, policy experts have offered a variety of interpretations about the inability of caste based groups to make a unified strategy to fight against discriminatory policies against Hindus.

One explanation basic to this sense of diminished effectuality is lack of unity. When Hindus are united and strong the political process is able to gain positive results. On the few occasions on which this paralysis has overcome (Amarnath Issue), political parties, the media and the secular intellectuals have become silent. However, they have shoehorned few Hindu leaders into making a set of false choices. It is hard to follow psychological misdirection if only Hindus had a choice of better ideas and action plan.
 
OVERCOMING THE PARALYSIS

The paralysis of Hindus is a product of years of Islamic oppression and Christian colonialism in India. Even after independence, the secular government failed to invigorate Hindus. Given the disorganized, powerless condition of Hindus, how the paralysis be overcome? Remedying the problem requires an overall expansion of functional concepts and action strategies including assertive and self-esteem training as well as overcoming denial plan. The following tactics seem most compelling:

First, Hindu organizations should make every effort to combat the old belief in tolerance, passivity and the false claim all religions are the same. It is this belief that converts Hindus into zombies.

Second, allies of Hindus should embark on a process of building strong Hindu coalition. This category of reform includes active participation in political processes, challenging political movers and shakers who make decisions. These actions, however, are not going to be successful unless political parties are put under considerable pressure.

The third element in breaking the social paralysis is to use positive violence. This is not an easy project.  Hindus are divided by a multitude of interests and caste.  Nevertheless, by intensifying efforts, fragmented Hindus can create a broad alliance on common policy issues. If however, if it is organized around the most winnable issue (Temple Liberation), Hindu alliance can be forceful and effective. It represents a real hope of ending the paralysis of Hindus.

Marginalized and oppressed Hindus must rise up to tell their own needs, and to defend themselves. Through this process, through this insurrection, they can empower themselves. By organized insurrection, Hindus can avoid participating in their oppression.

There is a painful paradox in being a tolerant, passive Hindus being committed to empowerment and resistance for justice. Hindu tolerance of intolerance and pacifism has disempowered them. How can Hindus resolve the paradox?  Must Hindus discard their traditional tolerance, pacifism, and accumulated denial syndrome? Hindus need not discard their noble virtues, but they must not tolerate intolerant ideologies and criminal thinkers. Hindus must join together in the insurrection of subjugated Hindus.
Furthermore, we must not hear information from our distracters and manipulators that would demoralize us. We must not tolerate psychological warfare agents and their malicious and vicious games. We have been oppressed, subjugated and discriminated before. But we are only wrong when we continue to cling to our mistaken truths.

Of course, several Hindu organizations are more likely to be very involved in traditional ineffective action strategies such as protest march, peaceful demonstration, and low level political participation. Low level political protest and peaceful demonstration and protest rallies have no influential impact. These passive, consensus-oriented approaches are ignored by hardened criminal thinking and corrupt politicians. Frequently these organizations seemed to act on behalf of vested interests and narrow sectarian goals and to a lesser extent on those for larger Hindu causes. This may mean that such organization’s commitment to advocacy for Hindus as a whole is not a high priority.
 
It is ironic that involvement in conflict oriented approaches and effective violent protest activities are minimal. Hindus must aggressively organize for social justice, and continue to pursue legislation to free Hindu temples from the clutches of atheist Marxists and bogus secular Islamic slaves.
Because of secular leader’s obsession with getting positive certificates from Muslims and Christians, they always abandon their commitment for Hindus. They ignore nationalist ideas and Hindu cultural ethos and settle for trivial and mediocre ends.

One way to overcome some of the demoralizing paralysis is to be assertive and engage in posturing to score points. If Hindus could better resort to positive violence, perhaps politicians will listen. Hindus should always remember that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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