You knew…..

Yet you….

Kept up….

the charade

of praying

over a structure

where lay buried

remains of Idols,

Universally revered.

Now you act as-

Poor innocents of history,

Shameless encroachers,

Arrogant aggressors,

Devious thieves,

Hapless victims

of the past, as well as the present.

Not an iota of regret,

Not a hint of remorse,

Not a sliver of shame,

No climbdown,

Not one word by way of concession,

Not even a beginning of the acceptance,

Complete refusal to own up-

Not a single gesture  

towards reconciliation.

No acknowledgement

that that the ideology

that has driven so much hatred

must be poisonous.

You just aim to

remain ostriches,  hide behind-

the dark veil of secularism,

An Act that doesn’t count,

Our famed tolerance,

The power of your votes.

Is that your grand survival plan for cockroach-like existence?

You just cannot brave this

saying ‘someone else’ did all that,

But let us be, and let us use

the prayer halls

built over the ruins of an ancient culture.

That is not going to happen, much water has flown.

Either who wrecked such havoc

were your forefathers,

Whose paths you follow,

Whose blood flows in your veins,

Whose wealth you enjoy,

Whose examples you cite,

and hence, apologize,

seek pardon on their behalf,

and we can turn the page,

only after

some grand reconciliation.

Or you denounce those bloodthirsty demons,

decry and criticize those beasts,

Give them up,

Return-

it is your Right,

Do not justify their deeds anymore,

Submit their trophies,

Surrender the sacred places,

Now covered and converted,

For they mean nothing to you,

But the world to us.

The way ahead depends upon you,

Read the writing on the wall,

Or ignore at your own peril,

Keep parroting the same ol’ lies,

Keep up the pretence,

Ruin this social contract

like you do everywhere.

Or shed your false pride,

Embrace us,

Hand over the keys,

Tender apologies,

Express lamentations for the excesses committed,

Mend your ways,

We shall hug, and take you back,

Jamuna must ultimately fall into the Ganges.

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