The concern that New India often resembles an old, majoritarian Germany refuses to ebb away. What makes such a comparison far from an exaggeration are prejudicial actions taken by administrations and their masters — the political class. For instance, the police in Uttar Pradesh had recently asked the owners of eateries along the routes taken by kanwar yatris in three districts to display their names. The official reason is to apparently avoid ‘confusion’. But the motive seems to be twofold: first, to engineer division between Hindu pilgrims and Muslim shopkeepers and, second, to scuttle a source of livelihood for vendors who are from the minority community. Now the chief minister of UP, never the one to stand up for the cause of amity, has expanded the police order to include all routes. Uttarakhand, also ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has followed suit vehemently. Yogi Adityanath has, of late, faced the heat on account of the BJP’s poor performance in the general elections in UP and he might well be looking at exploiting this controversy to shore up his political credibility. After all, the pursuit of divisive, inflammatory politics at the expense of social harmony has often accrued electoral dividends for the BJP even though it mouths inclusive slogans occasionally. The irony is that the party’s relatively modest showing in the Lok Sabha polls could well be seen as proof of diminishing returns from its polarising agenda. Moreover, the kanwar yatra, much like the Amarnath Yatra, has been a relatively peaceful event that witnesses bonhomie between members of the two religions even in these divisive times. But the future of this spirit is now uncertain with politics entering the fray.

Among the allies of the National Democratic Alliance, the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party have made protesting noises. But they, given their numbers are critical to the NDA’s survival, need to do more and take up the cudgels on behalf of harmony. The role of NDA’s allies, after all, is paramount in keeping the BJP’s signature majoritarian instincts in check. But will they stand up and be counted? The fruits of power have often proved to be too tempting for political formations: so much so that the responsibility of safeguarding India’s secular ethos is often given short shrift.