In a period of just one week, we have had three important public statements being made by three of the most important government functionaries in India that have emphasised India’s stronger credentials as a secular democratic polity. The context is the reactions to the controversial remarks on the Prophet made by a (now former) spokesperson of the ruling party. In the first instance, the External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, stated that the negative reactions of many Muslim countries over the controversial remarks on the Prophet “... was an issue where the sensibilities and the sensitivities of people were impacted”. Next was the National Security Adviser (NSA), Ajit Doval, who candidly accepted that the controversy has damaged India’s global reputation, but also arguing that “India has been projected or some disinformation has been spread against India — which is far from the reality. Probably there is a need for us to engage them [Muslim world] and talk to them and convince them”.
An ‘inclusive upbringing’
Most importantly, we had the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, mentioning in his blog his childhood friend, one Mr. Abbas Ramsada, to highlight his (the Prime Minister’s) mother’s selfless nature. Reminiscing their childhood, the Prime Minister mentioned Mr. Abbas having stayed with Mr. Modi’s family “after the untimely death of my father's close friend who stayed in a nearby village” (i.e., Mr. Abbas’s father). Though the Prime Minister did not directly address the controversy over the derogatory remarks made about the Prophet, the very reference to Mr. Abbas is an indirect acknowledgement that more damage should not be done to India’s image as a country that celebrates its diversity and plurality. That Mr. Abbas was a part of his (the Prime Minister’s) household, that Mr. Modi’s mother took care of Mr. Abbas just like her own children, and that she also prepared favourite dishes during the festival of Eid must be seen as emphasising Mr. Modi’s inclusive upbringing and the level of societal integration between Hindus and Muslims in India. And, finally, it was the Supreme Court of India that held the discredited former spokesperson “single-handedly responsible” for igniting emotions while asking her to “apologise to the country”.
