The revival of grassroots secularism in western Uttar Pradesh, which is lifting the veil of fear for Muslims, is among the most rewarding benefits of the farmer’s movement in north India. The movement strengthened the social and cultural bonds between Jats and Muslims whose communal harmony of many decades took a beating during the violence in Muzaffarnagar in 2013. Whether this grassroots secularism will have ripple effects in other parts of U.P. or in the rest of India is a legitimate question. Nonetheless, this in itself is an impressive accomplishment.
The damage caused in 2013
The history of communal harmony of this region is unique because this area remained untouched by the violence following both Partition and the Ayodhya movement. Yet the violence that was unleashed in 2013 tore the secular social fabric like never before — mainly owing to a religious polarisation campaign by the forces of Hindutva, who, according to elderly Jats, were able to brainwash their younger generations to support Hindutva’s ideological cause.
