The hue and cry that followed was pseudo-secular. Comparison was made between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh with the latter singled out in the ‘Iftar’ party and Prime Minister Modi painted as if representing the ‘Ganesha’ party. The ‘Hindu-Muslim’ narrative escalated to ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ versus ‘iftar’.

In 2009, ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid out an 'Iftar feast' at which “a CJI” of his time was also seen in conviviality with Manmohan Singh. Nobody raised Cain at the time. Why now? The reality is the origins of “today” date back to Partition and the BJP is hard at work polarizing the electorate along Hindutva lines to lay the ground for the UP bypolls and the Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly elections.

The PM's presence at the Ganesh puja in CJI DY Chandrachud’s Delhi home wasn’t a breach of propriety. The objections are unfounded and manufactured to raise maximum Cain. Several opposition leaders and lawyers of the Supreme Court are expressing concerns over the Prime Minister's attendance at the puja at the CJI's residence, viewing it as a potential breach of propriety. However, there are others who dismissed these objections as unfounded and unnecessary.

Some senior lawyers have been the most vociferous, their tongues blabbering. Ganesh Chaturthi is an important social and religious event for the Marathi and CJI Chandrachud is Maharashtrian. “It is common for people to send and receive invitations for "aartis and darshans." The fact that the invitee happened to be the Prime Minister created a storm. Such reactions were unnecessary and disproportionate to the occasion.

The way it went, CJI Chandrachud sent an invitation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted it graciously. That is all there is to it. Everybody has a hidden religious fervour in him/her. But the selective outrage is what is ugly. Didn't Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lay out an “Iftar” in 2009 at which people of very important constitutional posts were present, why wasn’t there no outrage then?

The outrage apart, the PM/CJI meeting also saw circulation of videos and photographs on social media. Senior counsel Kapil Sibal finds it odd that a private meeting was publicised. He has laid the blame squarely on PM Narendra Modi, saying that Modi shouldn’t have "shown interest" and gone to the CJI’s residence. Sibal’s concern is that a perception has been created which has affected the judiciary’s image and come in the way of Opposition political goals.

The timing is what worries the Opposition. Courts have to routinely deal with matters related to executive actions of the Modi government and it is imperative for “maintaining a clear distinction between private religious practices and public functions.” What made CJI DY Chandrachud send an invitation to the Prime Minister, which then boomeranged?

The important thing is that the publicity which followed the meeting has come at a time when the BJP is on an intense recruitment drive and the Hindu nationalist party, after its "defeat" in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is back to rebuilding its Hindutva credentials among disappointed Hindu voters. Polarizing the electorate is currently the focus of the BJP and creating an aura of PM-CJI bonhomie is helping in the consolidation of the Hindu vote-bank.

The Hindu Chief Justice of India has been willy-nilly, without him realising, drawn into the BJP's Hindutva game-plan. Currently, with the 10 UP bypolls and three assembly elections round the corner, consolidating the Hindu vote is the most crucial chore for the BJP. The BJP has nothing to harp about after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but an atmosphere is being created that is intimately Hindu. (IPA Service)