http://www.indianexpress.com/story/31265._.html
An instructive piece by Gupta on the current Sacha Sauda imbroglio in Punjab - a mess entirely of the Congress Parties' making. Interestingly - nobody found it beneath 'secularism' when the Congress openly asks a religious head for affirmation of its political platform or candidates.
The really tragic part as I recall was that the current Punjab Congress chief - Amarinder Singh - actually resigned the Congress and his Parliament seat when Bluestar happened. I guess it is not enough for him to reap the whirlwind once - he just has to do it all over again.
This time it will not be Sikh vs. Hindu though - but Akali vs. Dera Sacha Sauda (or Sikh vs. Lower Caste Sikh). I guess the commies will then step in to explain how this is 'class conflict' due to 'exploitation over the millenia' - all this contrary to how 'Sikhism does not believe in caste' and was 'a reformation as it mixed Hinduism and Islam'!!!!!
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The Shahi Imam is stepping into the fray, comparing this 'outrage' to the evil Danish cartoon provocation:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=237021
The need of the moment is to calm the situation down, otherwise Pak will use this as an excuse to drag the state towards militancy again.
All prophet based system seem to be suffering from such problems.
In Hinduism this is relatively less since the jati is more important to different strands of religious beliefs. So dissent is acceptable and does not lead to intolerance.
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When political parties descend to the level of cults, this is what will happen. In fact, most Indian political parties are cults, led by individuals who are the cult leaders. In the north, the cults led by Sonia Maino and by Mayawati are typical examples. In Tamil nadu, the cult leaders at present are Moo Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaaa (one more "a" added for some more luck). The Dharmapuri bus burning and the attack on Dinakaran office have been the result of this cult mentailty. The cult-parties demand total personal loyalty and obedience to the leader. The party members are required literally to creep and crawl before the cult leaders, touch their feet, do "saashtanga namaskaram" etc.
Dayanidhi Maran's recent pitiable whining and keening before TV cameras also typified the behaviour of a cult member.
Nationalist parties like the BJP will do well to remember this.
Case in point was BJPs idolation of Vajpayee and Shiv Sena's of Thackeray
I dunno why Indians are so pathologically attracted to Personality Cults. They just love 'em. I think it's the unfortunate natural progression from idolatry. Just erect a Golden Calf for the masses, and they'll flock to it.
"I dunno why Indians are so pathologically attracted to Personality Cults. They just love 'em. I think it's the unfortunate natural progression from idolatry."
To me Islam appears like a giant cult. The Naxalites, communist parties in India (and probably the rest of the world) are classic cults. The followers of Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin, North Korean leaders, the Central Asian dictatorships (Turkmenbashi), several of the Central American and South American dictatorships (Castro/Chavez) all look like cults. - other than the cambodians none of the others could be called "idolatrous"
The only distinction (slight distinction) would be between full fledged cults like Communist parties (Amway?), and personality cults and even in that case the Communist parties could be called as Marx personality cults (I admit a weaker link here but cults nonetheless)
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