Democracy and religion have hypocrisy in common

One can argue that hypocrisy is a form of adaptation. It is a survival tool. Didn’t Darwin say something about adapting in his book On the Origin of Species? But what is a natural phenomenon, has major ramifications for humans when it is practised. Christ called it out in John 8:7, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. Lord Rama refused to acquiesce to the pleadings of his brother to return to rule Ayodhya. Doing so would make him a hypocrite for not following through on his promise to leave the kingdom. In the Bhagwad Gita, Sri Krishna provides different examples of hypocrisy and hypocrites - those who outwardly renounce objects while still dwelling on them mentally; penance performed with ostentation to gain respect and honour.

Hypocrisy is very secular, it comes in various forms. Sometimes, hypocrisy is that good intention that paves the road to hell. In its aim to protect the free world, America has hobnobbed with the worst dictators and toppled elected governments. As a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Obama oversaw airstrikes and raids into at least seven nations.

Staying on in America, one can truly appreciate the value of hypocrisy as an adaptation tool. As the US wound its way through the Republication Presidential Primaries towards the 2016 Presidential elections, the world was served the finest in hypocrisy. The Christian right supported Trump despite his attitudes on women and many marriages. Long-time Republican politicians who had labelled him a liar and other apt, but unflattering, names fell over themselves when he was elected as the Republican Presidential candidate.

Read | Do we really need religion and god?

Today, the Republicans and the US Supreme Court claim they are protecting life by banning abortion by pawing over a woman’s right over her body. But they are opposed to any gun control even though 12 children die daily due to gun violence. Republican politicians shout from the mountaintops about how they are protecting American democracy while claiming ignorance about the January 6 insurrection and stalling its investigation. The Catholic Church has welcomed the US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion. But there is nary a peep about the harm to children from gun though the Bible highlights instances of Jesus’s care for them - Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17.

Modern India is rich in hypocrisy too. However, this duplicity has spread from just being a political tool to a social modus-operandi. India’s Grand Old Party, the Congress, has been unable to find a response to the right-wing Hindutva ideology that has swept India and is espoused by the ruling BJP.

Instead of staying true to its secular credentials, the party has reinvented itself as a proponent of soft-Hindutva to remain relevant and take on the BJP -- its leaders have visited temples, spoken about Brahmin DNA in its blood and desisted from making statements about the Hijab controversy. Its silence on the recent Supreme Court order on the Ehsan Jafri case is another instance of its hypocrisy.

Many Indian politicians who espoused secular ideals have now joined the BJP. In their earlier avtaars these politicians roundly opposed the BJP. For example, Jyotiraditya Scindia, a former Union Minister in the Congress government tweeted extensively against the BJP but now sings peans to BJP leaders. Interestingly, these tweets are no longer available.

But this turncoatery is not restricted to those abandoning a sinking ship. Even within the BJP and the believers of the Hindutva ideology hypocrisy abounds. The most recent instance being the BJP government’s response to the backlash from Muslim nations following the statements made by BJP national spokespersons on Prophet Mohammed. To limit the damage caused, the BJP government released an official statement calling the spokespersons ‘fringe elements’.

Read | Muzzle the press! India's press freedom ranking leaves a lot to be desired

The Hindutva ideology that the BJP espouses, and is implementing, is based on securing the primacy of Hinduism through the express act of suppressing Muslims and other minorities. For the BJP to distance itself from its spokespersons, who were just voicing the ideology, is laughable. More so because party leaders have made anti-Muslim remarks. As Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has said ‘Jo aag laga rahe hain, TV pe jo unke drishya aa rahe hain, yeh aag lagane vaale kaun hai, voh unke kaapdon sey hi pata chal jaata hai (The people that are lighting the fire, from the visuals on TV, those setting the fire can be identified from their clothes). Modi made this public statement in response to the anti-CAA protests. Other leaders have led slogans calling Muslims anti-nationals who should be shot. And this even as these politicians proclaim India’s democratic credentials.

The way the law under the BJP rule deals with such incidents is another example of hypocrisy at work. Indian citizens who have criticised the BJP government have been slapped with criminal charges. However, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, the two BJP national party spokespersons who have caused international embarrassment have got police protection as they claim their lives are under threat. While PM Modi joined G7 leaders in discussions on freedom of speech and social media, the Delhi Police - which reports to his government – arrested Mohammed Zubair a respected journalist and factchecker for a 2018 tweet of a meme from a movie.

The hypocrisy in current Indian politics has percolated into society. For example, hate and distrust of Muslims and the desire for revenge that the Hindutva supporters espouse is based on the claim that Muslim kings and raiders destroyed countless temples. What is happily forgotten is the history of the subcontinent is replete with warring Hindu dynasties killing each other and destroying each other’s temples.

Anirudh Kanisetti in his book Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas, quotes that on the death of Rajadhiraja Chola in the battle with the Chalukyas, the Chalukyas celebrated his death claiming he ‘burned down a multitude of temples’. Hindutva adherents don’t have a problem with Hindu kings killing each other and looting and destroying temples. Bollywood has got into the act too. The recent movie Samrat Prithviraj depicts the king as protecting Hinduism against the attacking Muslims hordes. The film ignores the wars he fought against many Hindu kings.

At the end of the day, hypocrisy is nothing but the detritus of the sacrifice of trust, logic and principles. For what personal and political gain and fulfilling self-deception? While the reasons may be debated its results are tangible - social dysfunction and discord, and deaths.

(The author is a freelance writer)