INDIA FIRST is good but...

The following are my views expressed in an online debate on a news item of the Hindustan Times, on the HT website:

Agreed that appeasement of any community, whether minority or majority, is neither good governance nor democratic. But, dear friend, what was and is the Ram mandir movement all about? Isn't it majority appeasement? In fact, Mumbai blasts (1993) and Godhara train burning and subsequent minority massacre were all bitter fruits of majority appeasement indulged in by the Saffron parivar through the Ram mandir movement. If Gujarat riots can be termed as a justified revenge for the Godhara train burning then the 1984 anti-Sikh riots too have numerous justifications, like killing of innocent people in Punjab during the period 1981-84 by Sikh terrorists and the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. If Modi and the Saffron parivar truly believe in the dictum "India First" then first of all they should take initiative for dismantling all temples (all over the country) which have been constructed on unauthorized public places and cause traffic jams and other problems. On many roads which carry heavy traffic, these temples are left untouched while widening roads so as not to give the Saffron parivar an issue to draw political mileage. The Supreme Court long ago had asked for removal of these places. Long ago, Marx had termed religion as the opium of the masses. I feel misuse of religion and petty/selfish politics are equally responsible for ruining the country. The way pilgrims are fleeced at famous religious places makes one think whether religion has any real value for us Indians. When the kanwar yatra blocks the Haridwar-Delhi highway for a fortnight, preventing normal trade and depriving people of emergency medical care and making it difficult for lots of people to earn their daily bread, it can't be termed as an India First act. But no one wants to bell the cat lest the Saffron parivar draws political mileage. Shouldn't saving people from the dhong (mockery) of religion also come under India First?