Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress leader and a revered personality in the intellectual circles in India, spoke in adoration of Quaid e Azam’s vision of Two Nation Theory. Tharoor, condemning the implementation of CAA, spoke out against the draconian law targeting the Muslim minority and held that if authorities in India went through with their plan, it would be a complete victory for Jinnah’s vision.
“I would not say Jinnah has completely won, but, he is winning” Tharoor warned Modi-Amit duo, while speaking at the sidelines of Jaipur Literature Festival, who are busy persecuting the Muslim minority in the country. “There is still a choice available to the nation between Jinnah’s idea of a country and Gandhi ji’s idea of a country”. “Stop calling India a secular state if you follow into Jinnah’s footsteps and declare religion to be the basis of nationhood” he added.
Citizenship Amendment Act
The Citizenship Amendment Act tabled in the Lok Sabha by Amit Shah under Modi’s guidance has created a rift in the secular facade of a “Secular India”. Under the Act, arrangements have been made to provide citizenship to six fleeing non-Muslim minorities of Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus from the Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan while conveniently leaving out Muslims.
Not only this, but Modi government devised the NPR (National Population Register) and the NRC (National Register of Citizens), to question the identity of Muslims already living in India. 2 Million were excluded from the NRC list in Assam alone, a huge chunk of which were Muslims.
Jinnah's victory is complete if CAA leads to NRC: @ShashiTharoor https://t.co/ZtIwDW74DI
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 26, 2020
“The CAA, if talking in Tennis jargon, is a one set victory or lead for Jinnah, letting Jinnah win, is still in our hands, if CAA led to NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register), then I would say Jinnah’s victory is complete”.
Tharoor, pointing at the Muslim minority’s plight, said that if anyone is allowed to go around the city and interview the citizens with an aim to identify the “dubious citizens”, we are all very sure who those “dubious citizens” will be.
Without specifically naming, Tharoor said, “That will principally be one community that is not present in the CAA. And if that happens, then, indeed it will be Jinnah’s total victory”.
Read more: Jinnah was Right & Gandhi was Wrong: Indian politician blasts over CAA
Tharoor has been vocal against the implementation of CAA and have openly supported the protesters against the bill. “Partition in 1947 was of Indian soil, if India parliament approved CAA, it will be a partition of Indian soul” Tharoor spoke his heart out echoing the cries of millions of Indians protesting against the unjust law. “Wherever Jinnah is, he can point to this place (India) and say, see I was right in 1940, We are a separate nation and Muslims deserved their own country because Hindus cannot be just” Tharoor vindicated Jinnah’s vision.
An Indian presented the Two Nation Theory
While Tharoor was sanely vocal against the bill, he had varying ideas about the creation of Pakistan on the basis of religion and the origin of Two Nation Theory. While history tells many tales, some of the most prominent are that TNT was first envisioned by John Bright in 1858, then by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and brought into reality by Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
But Tharoor seems to have had different history lessons. According to the Congress leader “VD Savarkar, the founding father of RSS, was the first one to have advocated the Two Nation Theory”.
This is not about one religion vs another, not one person vs another. This is about defending our constitution, our unity,& our Democracy." Dr @ShashiTharoor responds in the SECULAR March against CAA. Wonderful Sloganeering in the background: We have only the blood of humanity.🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/XgvWhhrG5Z
— Jijoy' (@joymatts) January 31, 2020
In his work ‘Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?’ Savarkar developed the core of his philosophy on the concept of Hindutva. To him, Hindutva was not a word but a history of the spiritual or religious life of Indian people and the history of the entire civilization. He held that Hinduism is only a derivative, a fraction, a part of Hindutva.
Following the fascist ideology, Savarkar wanted an “Akhand Bharat” where Muslims had no place.
What is Congress playing at by vindicating Jinnah’s vision at one hand and denoting an important historical event to Savarkar at the other? Or more importantly, if CAA is a tennis game, as Shashi Tharoor exemplified, who is BJP playing against?