Newspapers
on May 10 reported that the government of India has decided to provide Z
category security cover to Kerala spiritual leader, Mata Amritanandamayi. An
intelligence bureau assessment noted that the spiritual leader faces threat
from “external forces”. The security agencies have not elaborated on the threat
from the “external sources”. Officials said that a team of 40 specially trained
CRPF commandos would ensure the safety of the leader, popularly known as Amma,
at her ashram in the Kollam district of Kerala. As part of the cover, the
commandos will provide proximate security to the spiritual leader, who will
also have two escort vehicles in her convoy when she travels.
The BJP government has already given Z category security
cover to the yoga guru turned business man, Baba Ram Dev. Mata Amirtanandamayi
is the second spiritual leader who is given this VVIP security cover.
Commenting on the decision of the government, The Indian Express reported that the
BJP has been making overtures to Amritanandamayi as part of its efforts to form
a rainbow coalition of Hindu unity to defeat the Left in the state. Last year,
BJP chief Amit Shah attended Amritanandamayi’s birthday celebrations at the
Kollam mutt, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to her in a speech,
the
report said.
Political
motive of the BJP government at the centre cannot be ruled out in offering Z
category security to Mata Amritanandamayi. The devotees of Mata Amirtanandamayi
include people belonging to different religions. The former Defence Minister A
K Antony used to visit her and get her blessings. Although Mata Amirtanandamayi
is a Hindu, she has not presented herself as a sectarian religious leader, but
a mother whose blessings are available to all people irrespective of caste and
religion. It appears that the BJP in its desperate attempt to get a foothold in
Kerala politics is trying to co-opt her as a Hindutva icon and use her for
polarizing the people of Kerala. Mata Amirtanandamayi, being a genuine
spiritual leader, should reject the offer of the government and publically
declare that her faith is in God and millions of her devotees rather than in
the security forces provided by the government. She should not allow herself to
be co-opted and exploited by a political party for creating its vote bank.
Nearly a year after
he was given Z-category security, the Centre granted paramilitary security
cover to his yoga ashram and food park in Haridwar. The Union government
deployed 35 armed CISF personnel at Patanjali Food and Herbal Park Private
Limited in Haridwar. The Modi
government has given a big push to the Patanjali products manufactured by
Ramdev’s vast business establishment by ordering that these be stocked by the
government-run Kendriya Bhandars. (Reference: ‘Baba Ramdev Phenomenon, From
Moksha to Market’ by Kaushik Deka)
It
has been a strategy of the Sangh Parivar to co-opt the national icons as the
Hindutva icons. They include Bhagat Singh, Swami Vivekananda, Babasaheb
Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel etc. The Parivar has extended this strategy
to the Hindu spiritual gurus who have large following. Giving favours to the
spiritual gurus has been a strategy used by the BJP to get their support. Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar was given permission by the government to organize three days
world cultural festival on the floodplains of river Yamuna.
According to an expert committee appointed by National
Green Tribunal (NGT) rehabilitation of Yamuna floodplains,
"destroyed" due to the cultural extravaganza organized by Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar's Art of Living (AOL), will cost Rs 13.29 crore and will take
almost 10 years.
Meera Nanda in her book, “The God Market, How Globalization
is Making India more Hindu” has pointed out the role played by the Hindu
spiritual gurus in promoting Hindutva. “Regardless of their styles, the
prominent gurus of all three types have one thing in common: their soft
Hindutva. While using the language of universalism, tolerance, good health, and
peace, they very clearly propagate a world view of India as a Hindu nation,
Hinduism as a superior religion, and the need to make India (indeed the whole
world) more Hindu. Given their underlying Hindu nationalism, it is not a
surprise that the Sangh Parivar counts on them to use their charisma to bring
moderate Hindus into the Hindutva camp”.
The bounties showered on the spiritual gurus by the BJP
governments both in the centre and in the states are nothing but rewards for
their contribution in the promotion of Hindutva politics which culminated in
BJP forming government both at the centre and in many states. Hobnobbing of the
spiritual gurus with the Hindutva politics is in fact eroding their credibility
as inclusive spiritual gurus. For example
Sri Sri Ravishankar’s spat with the NGT on the damage caused to environment due
to organizing world cultural festival on the floodplains of Yamuna has not gone
down well with the general public.
The British magazine
The Economist described
his politics in these words: ‘Art of Living is open to people of all faiths.
But, in fact, discussing the Ram temple, its guru starts to sound less like a
spiritual leader and more like a politician, talking of the long history of
“appeasement of the minority community”, and of the unfairness of a system that
subsidizes Muslims to go on the hajj to Mecca.’
The
strategy that has been adopted by BJP is mixing religion, politics and
business. Religion and spirituality are being used to create vote bank and
polarize people and the spiritual gurus knowingly or unknowingly become tools
in the hands of BJP. The spiritual gurus are benefiting in the form of Z
category security, permissions even violating the rules and economic advantages.
In this process the image of India as secular or pluralistic country has taken
a back seat.
Three prominent
qualities observed in a genuinely spiritual person are fearlessness, compassion
and creativity. Jayaram V. in an article, “Divine Qualities according to
Bhagavad-Gita”, writes, “A yogi on the path of liberation conquers desires and
fear of death by having faith in God. Hence he is unafraid”. The unique characteristic of a spiritual
person is unshakable faith in God. Hence he or she is not afraid of anyone or
any power on earth. A spiritual person’s security is not in wealth or physical
power, but in God, the source of all wealth and power. Hence it appears to be a
great contradiction that government is offering Z security to spiritual leaders
and the spiritual leaders are accepting it with pride. Spiritual leaders often
advice their followers about the need for trust in God. If they themselves
accept Z security from the government at the cost of tax payer’s money their
credibility as spiritual leaders will be at stake.
The
spiritual gurus of all religions should guard against being co-opted and used
by political parties. If they come under the influence of a particular
political party or become agents of a political party they cease to be
spiritual leaders. On the other hand they become sectarian religious leaders.
It is a huge loss both for them and the society.
