Bommai Government and their overt love for majoritarianism

Three-time MLA and former BJP Minister Basavaraj Bommai took oath as the 30th Chief Minister of Karnataka on July 28th, 2021, following B.S. Yediyurappa’s resignation. Since then, Bommai and his ruling BJP Government have made sure to poke their heads into every controversy imaginable. Starting with the hijab ban in classrooms, banning Muslim traders in temple festivals, turning a blind eye to the boycott call for halal meat ban, to endorsing the ban for azaan in public places, they have done it all.

Unlike any other BJP-led Government in other states, the Karnataka Government seems way too eager to hurt the religious sentiments of minorities, especially Muslims. They are constantly dialing up the communal rhetoric, probably keeping in mind the elections which are just around the corner. By banning Hijab in classrooms, the Government took away the right of individuals from expressing their religious identity.

Hijab was a symbol of the assertion of Muslim identity, and it went against the majoritarian views of the ruling party, so they went ahead and banned it in schools. The hijab ban is a clear example of the cultural cleansing of the visible Muslim identity. Justifying the high court ruling on the ban of the HijabHijab (headscarf) in schools and colleges, CM Bommai said that it is not an essential practice to wear hijabs in Islam, and everyone should follow the court order for the benefit of children.

It’s common knowledge that one can’t uphold majoritarianism and, at the same time, cant indulge in minority appeasement. Right-wing groups are aware that the cultural erasure of minorities is not possible without a relentless economic attack on the community. By banning Muslim traders in temple festivals, the vigilantes are directly hitting at the livelihoods of these traders.

The BJP government in Karnataka has justified the restrictions on Muslim traders at temple fests by pointing out that non-Hindus are also barred from having stores on temple premises as per a rule issued in 2002 under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997. The Government's way of justifying nonsensical restrictions and ban by pulling out old rules that has no standing in present scenario is commendable.

Reacting to a fresh campaign by Hindu vigilante groups against loudspeakers in mosques, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said all are equal before the Government, and mosque loudspeakers will not be taken down forcefully. The spirited campaign led by Hindutva groups targets Muslims as they need to hear azaan to carry on with their prayers or break their fast. By not taking a strong stand against these discriminatory and Islamophobic campaigns, the BJP government in Karnataka is endorsing them and letting these anti-minority elements thrive.

The roaring uproar to ban halal meat in Karnataka and calls for its boycott on Varshadodaku, the day after the Ugadi festival, were welcomed with silence by the Bommai Government. The Government loves indulging in anti-muslim activities under the guise it’s for communal harmony, but this is, in fact, only promoting further communal polarisation.

Hindus constitute more than 80% of the state’s population. By preventing the assertion of Muslim identity, hurting livelihoods by preventing business that is mainly Muslim-community-driven, and by taking a bleak stand against islamophobic activities and against the raging anti-minority tendencies in the state, the Bommai Government is catering only to the needs of this 80% majority. This blatant majoritarianism might get him some votes in the next election but its harmful to the democractic framework of the country that encourages secularism and communal harmony.