National Interest: Still Mandal, still Mandir - Shekhar Gupta's Subjective Analysis

National Interest: Still Mandal, still Mandir - Indian Express:

We, the students of social science, especially Political Science, know only too well that social & political beliefs colour our attitude and analysis. An honest analyst would declare at the beginning of his analysis his political leanings and beliefs. But to expect this from our highly partisan intellectuals and media is a bit unrealistic. It is not that Shekhar Gupta won't be knowing that the UPA, particularly the Congress, depends upon the support of Bangladeshi immigrants, minorities like Muslims & Christians, separatists and a fairly large number of anti-national elements to come to power. Similarly, the support base of BJP is not only Ram Mandir supporters. In fact India's resurgent nationalists are firmly behind the BJP and the Mandir Movement was nothing but the assertion of Indian nationalism. If India is to survive as a nation and civilization it has to facilitate the emergence and consolidation of Hindu nationalism. Religions like Islam and Christianity have other homelands also, but the Hindus have only India to fall back upon. A Hindu by birth is secular. See how Nepal, a Hindu Kingdom, has declared itself a Secular Republic.Parties, the rationale of whose existence was anti-Congressism, have now joined hands with Congress to stop the emergence resurgent Hindu/Indian resurgence.