Facebook Pixel A PERSISTING CONFUSION OVER IDENTITY | The Morning Standard - newspaper - Les denne historien på Magzter.com

Prøve GULL - Gratis

A PERSISTING CONFUSION OVER IDENTITY

The Morning Standard

|

July 08, 2024

A recent comment has brought up an old question: who gets to decide religious identity? It's tougher to answer in a land where harmony is stressed over uniformity

- BALBIR PUNJ

A PERSISTING CONFUSION OVER IDENTITY

WHILE speaking in the Lok Sabha on Monday (July 1), Rahul Gandhi said, "Aap Hindu ho hi nahin (You are not Hindu)." The line was directed at the BJP benches, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues, fellow members of the House and, by extension, the millions of voters who supported the saffron outfit.

Rahul's words indicated three thingshis sense of entitlement, ignorance of Indian ethos and disrespect for democratic norms.

Can Rahul or anybody else decide who is a Hindu? During the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, 23.59 crore Indians voted for the BJP. There are likely to be millions more who support the BJP, but couldn't vote for their favourite party for various reasons. A majority of them identify themselves as Hindus. With one utterance, Rahul seemed to strip them of this identity.

Who can make such a statement? Only someone with an acute sense of entitlement. Unlike Abrahamic religions, Hinduism is timeless (hence also sanatan), catholic and pluralistic. There is no centralised authority in Hinduism, and none has any right to pass such edicts regarding the faith.

Identity can work differently for the Abrahamic faiths. For example, the Ahmadiyya sect in Pakistan has been 'shunned' from Islam, and its followers are routinely persecuted because their belief system differs a little from the mainline Shia-Sunni doctrines. These two sects are also perpetually locked in internecine wars because of their conflicting theological beliefs. Ironically, Ahmadiyyas were at the forefront, along with communists and the Muslim League, in striving for an independent Pakistan. Doesn't Rahul somewhat sound like a similar establishment voice when he decrees in Lok Sabha who is a Hindu and who isn't?

FLERE HISTORIER FRA The Morning Standard

The Morning Standard

The Morning Standard

Jamie Lee Curtis confirms The Bear will end

JEREMY Allen White-led drama The Bear is coming to an end with its upcoming season 5, actor Jamie Lee Curtis has revealed in a recent interview.

time to read

1 mins

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

Congress fields Dalit leader in Haryana to strike caste balance

THE Congress has fielded Karamvir Singh Baudh, a scheduled caste leader from Haryana, for the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections.

time to read

1 min

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

India unlikely to see major gas crisis

lf there is impact of Qatar LNG supply cut, Centre may re-prioritise gas supplies: Govt official | GAIL assessing impact on users after Petronet halted LNG supplies.

time to read

2 mins

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

The Morning Standard

TRIBES ART FEST 2026: CRAFTS,PAINTINGS,DEMOS

A vibrant celebration of India’s indigenous artistic traditions is underway in the capital as the Tribes Art Fest (TAF) 2026 brings together artisans and performers from across the country.

time to read

1 min

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

Two bodies recovered in Sadar Bazar; one killed, 50 huts destroyed in Rithala

THREE people were killed in two separate fire incidents in the national capital, officials said.

time to read

1 mins

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

Trade deal with India near finish line: US official

THE proposed bilateral trade agreement between the United States and India is nearing completion, said Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of the US Department of State, on Thursday.

time to read

1 mins

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

Iran war to cost Israel $3 billion a week, says FinMin

THE ongoing war with Iran could cost Israel an estimated NIS 9.4 billion per week under current restrictions on economic activities, the Israeli Finance Ministry has warned.

time to read

1 min

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

The Morning Standard

Trump calls Kurdish fighters joining Iran war ‘wonderful’

Fresh strikes hit Iranian Kurdish opposition targets in northern lraq

time to read

2 mins

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

The Morning Standard

Speculation over, Nitish files Rajya Sabha papers

THREE-and-a-half months after being sworn-in as Bihar chief minister for a record 10th time, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar on Thursday filed his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha, marking his return to national politics after two decades.

time to read

1 min

March 06, 2026

The Morning Standard

The Morning Standard

24 US states challenge Don’s new tariffs in court

SOME two dozen states challenged President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs on Thursday, filing a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court.

time to read

1 min

March 06, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size