Communal Agenda is to end equality, trap Muslims: Prof Deshpande

Hyderabad:  The communal agenda of Hindutva ideology followers is to overthrow equality among religions said Professor Satish Deshpande from the University of Delhi.

An attempt to corner the Muslim community was also underway through a legal route said the sociology professor who was delivering the ninth SR Sankaran Memorial Lecture on ‘Casteism and Communalism: Friends and Enemies’.

The event was organized by the Centre for Dalit Studies (CDS) on Sunday, TNIE reported.

“Today’s communal agenda is to overthrow the existing reality — equality of all religions. Our Constitution doesn’t recognize the difference between religions. The communal agenda is to ‘correct’ personal law, so that due recognition will be given to the Hindus, that is the communal agenda,” he said.

Inviting all sections of people to participate, the professor said an attempt to create a unifying national project of othering Muslims is on its way and everyone is invited to be part of it.

“If you leave aside minute differences, it is Dalitization of Muslims, where a particular group is being considered as inferior and unrescualbly other,” said Deshpande adding the ruling party has adopted a legal route to corner Muslim community.

“There is an attempt to turn this into legal reality, by making set legally unequal laws.”

Alleging that ruling government’s move is an attempt to “re-enact” Manusmriti, he said Manusmriti is de facto unequal.

“The Constitution of India has no room for discrimination against religious minorities or lower castes,” he added.

Reminding the work accomplished by CDS, he said late IAS officer SR Sankaran, Mallepalli Laxmaiah, the chairperson of CDS, said, “During late IAS officer SR Sankaran’s career, he had worked to eradicate bonded labour, Jogini system, and for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden communities. He collected over 1,500 books for CDS’s library.”