Taslima: Shooing the messenger?

Taslima Nasreen was shunted out of a ‘communist’ state because her supposed hurting of ‘religious sentiments’ sparked rioting.

Taslima Nasreen was shunted out of a ‘communist’ state because her supposed hurting of ‘religious sentiments’ sparked rioting. The rioters were supposed to be protesting against Nandigram violence AND Taslima Nasreen’s stay in Bengal but strangely those behind Nandigram were not called a ‘threat to peace and security’ and told to leave the state, neither were the protestors who burnt property not belonging to them, scared schoolchildren and forced the state to call the army. No only a free speaking woman was told to buzz off.

Why? Why do we Indians continue tolerating such behaviour? Whatever Ms. Nasreen may have written and whoever it may have offended, if she has a valid visa she should be allowed to stay with dignity wherever she wants. Unfortunately, dignity is something she has not been awarded as she is shunted from state to state.

Instead of focussing on illegal immigrants, the state is focussing on legal immigrants who might just show a mirror to society.

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Such behaviour by state after state shows that our political parties have become so blinded by fear of perceived public opinion that they don’t see the obvious. What message is the state of Bengal, which has always prided itself in its communist-and-hence-religion free legacy sending to people? By cowering before angry rioters it is just gaining a few brownie points so as to give a little fillip to its sad image after the Nandigram violence, but it is failing to see the larger picture.

If on the other hand it had not given in to sending Taslima out of the state it would have sent a clear message that the CPI (M) still sticks to its original ideology, which seemed to be waning under words like globalization and SEZs in the popular domain.

And what about the Rajasthan government? It is claiming to be caught off guard as if it were some tsunami or a sudden flood that had come to the Pink City, and isn’t Rajasthan state supposed to be ruled by a right-wing BJP? As dangerous as its ideology would be to the larger context of India, in this case it would have been thought it right (pun-unintended) to give shelter to someone perceived as ‘anti-Islam’?

Whatever happened to the ideas of free speech and freedom of expression, every society needs people who dare to speak what is not always pleasant to hear, some harsh realities can only be dealt with truthfully. And if someone doesn’t like a book the best option is to not buy the book, not to shoot the messenger, or in this case, the author.

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That apart, this shunting from state to state is a clear victory for fundamentalist voices that have eaten up a huge part of sensible public platforms. No country in the history of the world has become a nation and a force to reckon with by treating people in this way, today it is MF Hussain and Taslima Nasreen, tomorrow it may be someone who just thought he’d give his own take on accepted beliefs.

We cannot afford our country to fall prey to whims and fancies of people who don’t like to listen to opinions other than their own.