Padmaavat protests: Karni Sena hooligans disgrace Rajput community as BJP-ruled states bow down to fringe elements

Decades ago during a visit to my village, a grandfatherly figure asked a group of young boys, “What would you do if someone shouts that a crow has taken your ears, would you run after crow flying in the sky or would first check your ears?” The question may appear silly but one should realise that this was part of the learning process for children, check your facts before making a stupid move.

The likes of Rajput Karni Sena, Pravin Togadia, Hardik Patel and host of other fringe elements who have taken to the streets and are using violent means to prevent the release of Padmaavat do need to apply this earthly wisdom and ask the same question to themselves. The protests against movie Padmavati, now named Padmaavat, which first appeared to be a ridiculous act of a small fringe group whose incoherent talks and the threats of violence were inviting ridicule from the wider world has slowly grown in proportions. Now their indulgence in acts of physical violence, rioting, arson, road blockade and damage to public property has become a threat to law and order, peace, tranquillity, social harmony and business.

In view of the breakdown in law and order, the state should have cracked the whip. The law enforcement agencies should have come down heavily on them. After all the rioters are not unidentifiable mass. Their leaders are seen day in and day out on various television channels, openly giving threats of physical harm, rioting and arson. A Hindi term associated with Lord Shiva’s angry violent mood tandav (divine dance for destruction) is frequently uttered by them. They didn’t stop at that and went on showing their feudal obscurantist mindset, asking their womenfolk to commit suicide by burning themselves alive (commit Jauhar). What they are actually doing is to dare law enforcing agencies to book them under relevant provisions of law.

There could not be any prizes for guessing how the state should have dealt with such elements who do not believe in the Constitution and the law of the land and want to Talibanize the state and society.

If there was a political will, the state could have tamed these hooligans in a matter of few hours. The developing situation on the ground presents a sorry state of affairs. The BJP rules at the Centre and in all these states affected by this lawlessness. Most of these states followed the stand taken by the Rajput Karni Sena that “fiddling with history wouldn’t be acceptable” and went on to ban the film. These states include Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan while Uttar Pradesh sought a deferment in the release of the film until the civic polls are over. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are even going for a review in the Supreme Court after the apex court ruled that states cannot ban the movie but ensure law and order was maintained for the exhibition of the movie instead. However, a poor response from the state agencies in dealing with the rioters even after the Supreme Court order suggests that the ruling party is sympathetic to the Karni Sena even if there is no tacit understanding.

Initially, the politics behind BJP’s move to ban or defer the release of the movie was understandable because of the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat as also the civic poll in Uttar Pradesh was to be held. A worsened law and order situation would have been detrimental to BJP’s poll prospects. But now those elections are over and the party won in all these places. But the political compulsions seem to have widened to keep sections of a particular community happy.

The way Shivraj Singh Chauhan government in Madhya Pradesh and Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan capitulated before a group of hotheads, who should otherwise have been behind bars, is the depiction of how political parties care more for some votes than for honouring the oath of office that they take and allegiance to the Constitution that bound them as occupants of top posts and also as the citizens of the nation.

What should have caused concern among the ruling elites in the BJP that hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke like a statesman in Davos telling the world leaders—“India offers you everything that you seek from and for your life. Therefore, my advice to you is that, if you want wealth with wellness, work in India, if you want peace with prosperity, live in India, if you want health with whole life, be in India”—parts of Ahmedabad in Gujarat (his home state) was burning because some hotheads don’t want screening of Padmaavat to take place.

The leaders of Rajput Karni Sena who appear on various TV channels showing utter contempt for fellow countrymen and law are enjoying spotlights of TV cameras and are pleased with themselves even if they are being portrayed in a bad light as they are getting free publicity. But in the name of protecting Rajput valour and honour they are doing biggest disservice to the Rajput community, which they belong to. A group of hoodlums and thugs have painted whole community in poor light as a community which has no space for rational thoughts, respect for women, scientific bent of mind, and any rational thing which comes with education and advancement of society.

In an interview to Firstpost, Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi had admitted that he had no idea of script of how the movie was made but it all started with a small ego issue – with actor Ranveer Singh alleged remark that he was willing to do a role which was worse than a villain if he gets to do some scenes with actress Deepika. Karni Sena sought clarification and Ranveer didn’t care to clarify, nor did the maker of the film Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The question is can a country which claims to be in the league of most developed nations in the next few decades afford to pamper such irrational people and moribund thoughts.

If Karni Sena had cared to see promo of Padmaavat what Deepika as Padmaavat said, it would have understood this movie was about the valour of Rajput than otherwise. Chinta toh talwaar ki nok pe rakhe woh rajput. ret ke naav lekar samandar se shart lagaye woh rajput aur jiska sar kate fir bhi dushman se ladta rahe wo rajputi kangan mein utni hee taatak hain jitni rajputi talwar mein. (They toss fear on the tip of their sword, that is a Rajput. They dare to take on the seas, even while riding boats made of sand, that is a Rajput. Even if the head is chopped off, he who doesn’t stop fighting is a Rajput. There is as much strength in a Rajput’s bangle as there is in a Rajput’s sword).