The
trigger for this BlogSpot
is a close friend’s disagreement with my apprehension that the very idea of
Indian Nationhood is under threat. He argues that it is a canard being spread
by those opposed to Modi Ji, and he buttresses his argument by asking whether I
saw lynchings or mayhem in the streets during my stay in India last
year. No, I didn’t see that. However, an undercurrent of polarization and intolerance
was certainly palpable compared with my previous visits, as were intimidation by
Right-wing trolls and brazen muscle-power by its cadres and supporters.
Undoubtedly,
there was also a sharp divide in all sections, even among the so-called
intelligentsia, on the sharp pro or anti-Modi binary - nothing in between. More
glaring was the wily masking of the forceful Hindutva rhetoric with the
subtle, yet potent Nationalism label. Of course, the ploy was to define Nationalism
ad lib and exploit it for everything, as and when required to shore up
the original goals.
It
was also clearly discernible how the original shrill ‘persecuted Hindus’
Narrative was toned down by embracing other emotive issues. One would recall
how almost two years before the 2014 polls, social media was deluged with tales
of atrocities against Hindus over the centuries, about the demographic invasion
through prolific procreation by Muslims and Christians, love jihad,
questions as to why terrorists worldwide are only from a particular religion, while
ignoring the fact none was from the 172 million Muslims in India, and charges
of Muslim appeasement. PM Manmohan Singh was denigrated in the vilest of terms,
but the most abusive posts were directed against the Nehru-Gandhi family, with even
attempts to trace their Muslim origins several generations back.
While
the strategy worked and Modi was elected with a sweeping majority, much to the
dismay of the Right-wing ideologues, BJP polled only 31% of the popular vote. Clearly,
most Indians rejected the aggressive Hindutva stance, and hence a course correction
was warranted. Then started a concerted image-building campaign by highlighting
the softer nation-building agenda of the RSS (it even tried to snare Pranab
Mukherjee). Hordes of ‘motivational speakers’ including many Veterans were
hired to influence impressionable minds in schools and colleges. Numerous ‘right’-minded
experts on economy etc and military experts filled TV panels on friendly
channels to sing praises of the regime’s measures – even demonetization. Opposing
views were shouted down, trolled or labeled anti-National.
How
can I assert all this so definitively, you would ask? Contrary
to popular belief that Right-wing strategy is formulated in Nagpur, a substantive
role is played by the Hindutva organizations and ideologues among expatriates,
especially those based in USA. More importantly, the financing of IT companies
that control the trolls, the legions of motivational speakers, opinion makers
and experts, and all other components of the campaign is taken care of by the
deep pockets here. And tongues loosen up when single malts go down. Let us
leave it at that.
Let
us get back to the question as to why I feel the very idea of Indian Nationhood
is under threat. Notwithstanding all the
tactical flip-flops of the BJP (Mandir, go-raksha, NRC, polarization, and
now Nationalism, soft rashtrawad etc) due to the electoral dynamic, the
core agenda remains the same. It is no secret that the RSS has always been
unhappy with the secular basis of our Nation, as enshrined in the Constitution.
The ultimate goal remains the same – Hindu Rashtra – attained either de
jure through Constitutional amendment or de facto through muscular
intimidation, ghar wapsi, or Goebellsian indoctrination till the
remaining Hindus fall in line.
Religious
polarization is dangerous. Once the genie is released, there is no turning back
from the hell it creates. Recall how our parents used to say that when the
Hindu Mahasabha and RSS on one side and the Muslim League on the other, first
introduced their communal rhetoric in the 1930s, most people dismissed it as
mere jockeying for positions by the politicians. How it turned into the
communal holocaust of Partition was quite unexpected. Who suffered? Not the
politicians on either side, who got plum positions. It was millions of innocent
people caught in the communal frenzy.
I,
as an infant, was one of those millions. My mother and I caught near fatal
diseases during that ordeal. My father, the scion of one of the richest families
in the entire district, started as a railway coolie carting coal in wheel-barrows
at eight annas a day. He rebuilt his life and retired as a very senior Govt
official. Same is the story of millions of others affected by the Partition.
And yet, not once did my parents teach us to hate Muslims. All they said that
it was a tragedy triggered by politicians, but foolishly gulped by gullible ordinary
people who ended up paying the price.
Who
paid the price for the communal polarization in Punjab in the 1980s, or in the
Babri Masjid riots and the Gujarat carnage of 2002? Surely, in the 21st
Century India, we the people cannot fall prey to the games politicians play for
their own selfish ends. Let me ask another question. Why is it that you would
find hardly any religious bigot among all those actually suffered during
Partition or other upheavals? Why most of the Hindutva zealots are from those
States, which were not directly affected? For them whipping communal frenzy is
more a chauvinistic bravado than any genuine religiosity. They seem to seek an
adrenalin rush from a communal riot as tamashbeen, as if it were a WWF
fight.
Finally,
as to the question why I should not be unduly apprehensive since I did not
see mayhem on the streets. Such a complacent attitude can be disastrous.
The British realized it in 1857 when the bubble burst, or the entire Indian subcontinent
when it was overtaken by communal frenzy in 1947, and which madness culminated
in Gandhi Ji’s assassination. Early in 1984, did we foresee the traumatic
events that would follow later that year? It was ultimately the exceptional
maturity and wisdom of the Sikh community that brought back Punjab from the
brink, and saved our Nation from unraveling.
Let
us not, therefore, forget the lessons from History. Communal and caste
polarization is a clear and present danger, which is recklessly being fanned by
politicians. There is immense pent up anger and frustration not just because of
the hate-mongering environment, but also from real problems of unemployment and
farm distress. It is like a tinder box,
which even a small spark can set off. Mayhem on the streets will surely
follow. It is imperative that we citizens emphatically defeat the selfish
politicians’ divisive agenda.
BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
