Adhiyoga unveiling: PM following Dr Rajendra Prasad's precedent

Should the Prime Minister of India be unveiling a gigantic statue of Lord Shiva, in his 'Adhiyogi' form? In secular country, it is technically true that the Prime Minister's presence in such a religiously oriented ceremony should be frowned upon. 

And in Prime Minister Modi's case, the frowning is doubly hard as he is both an active and devout Hindu and a right-winger. 

Interestingly, the protests against the PM's visit have nothing to do with religion at all. The actual protest is against the Isha Foundation, who is facing a series of cases for illegal construction. 

However, considering the nature of PM Modi and the kind of protests he seems to attract no matter what he does, it is not unreasonable to assume that should the land issue not exist, there would have been some angry murmurings about his going to such an event at all. 

After all, his very presence at such an event stands in stark contrast to his absence at events of other religions. And while he may be attending in his personal capacity as a citizen, he is the Prime Minister of India, and his presence further cements the idea of the dominance of the majority religion. 

This was certainly not the idea of the founders of the Republic, who envisioned India as a neutral state, who would maintain an equal distance from all religions, while giving due respect to all as well. 

However, before we leap on to the PM breaking this tradition, it is perhaps important to realise that this tenement of the state was broken barely before the ink was dry on the new constitution. 

Back in 1950, the legendary 'wisest man of India' C. Rajagopalachari was the nation's last Governer-General. The new titular head of the country would henceforward be the President of India, a position created by the new Constitution. 

PM Nehru wished Rajaji to continue in the new post as well. However, Sardar Patel and a section of the Congress party pushed for Dr Rajendra Prasad to occupy the new post. 

PM Nehru had many reasons to why he preferred Rajaji over Prasad, but one of the strong reasons was Rajendra Prasad's staunch Hinduism, which he highlighted publicly. 

Meanwhile, even as Indian independence became a de-facto fact, Sardar Patel and others began to make public their wish to rebuild the holy Somnath Temple in Gujarat, last demolished by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. 

Dr Prasad quickly added his own voice to the proposal. In 1951, after the construction of the temple began, Dr Prasad attended the ceremony and gave a speech. 

Nehru was opposed this, stating that a Government representative, indeed the titular head of India, should not attend such a religious event. Dr. Prasad, even then, argued that he was going in his personal capacity as a Hindu. 

The rest, as they say, is history. But the fact remains, the very first President of India attended a massive Hindu event. 

And considering the emotional history that Somanath Temple has for the Hindus (it was repeatedly demolished by Islamic invaders and conquerors), perhaps that event held far more prestige than anything after that. 

So yes, the PM should have stayed away from such an event, but he can always argue - he is only following the precedent laid by the first President of India. 

• Adhiyogi
• PM Modi