Tehelka, 7 November 2008
The way the minority communities have been demonised today reminds one of Hiltler's Germany
by Ram Puniyani
The last six months have been the most disturbing in the Indian political scene. The values of integration have come under severe attack from communal forces. First, we saw the series of bomb blasts in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Malegaon. The authorities blamed the Jehadi Muslim groups for these acts of terror. They said the police have succeeded in cracking the network. One outcome of this was the Batla house encounter in which valiant Delhi police officers killed the alleged terrorists. It put out a version that the terror ring has been busted and kingpins have been arrested. It is another matter that later, the police were not comfortable answering relevant questions raised. Satisfactory answers to these were not forthcoming. The theory that the Malegaon blast was carried out by SIMI was proven wrong as the investigations revealed ABVP/Bajrang Dal links.
Meanwhile, two Bajrang dal activists were killed while making bombs in Kanpur, two activists of Hindu Jagran Samiti were found to be behind the explosion in Thane which injured seven people. Again in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, after the bombs went off near a RSS office the usual theories and allegations followed but most of those planting the bombs turned out to be Hindus. No prizes for guessing their affiliations.
The anti Christian violence was orchestrated in Orissa to begin with, later on spilling to Karnataka. The pretext, first, was that Christians had beaten up Swami Laxmananand in. Later, Christians apparently killed the swami too. Interestingly, a Maoist group claimed to have killed him but the RSS and its affiliates stuck to its stand as if it was their right to decide who the real culprit was.
There was violence in Burhanpur, Dhulia and few other places. Muslims were attacked, the Hindus claiming that posters were torn up. It is indeed disturbing the way things are shaping up in the country. The anti Muslim hate propaganda, which has been sustained through various myths have gradually helped form deep-rooted perceptions. Earlier, lot of planning and a bigger pretext was needed to unleash violence, now even a small one suffices. Some of the properties are well marked in advance for destruction. The loss of lives among the minorities is disproportionately large compared to their population.
The superficial reporting of acts of terror has served to stereotype the Muslim community and enhance its negative perception. The feeling of insecurity in the society has deepened with a distrust in the laws. The does not seem to affect the ruling coalition. For a Muslim it has become impossible to have faith in the government.
Christians have become the target, of late. The rhetoric of forced conversions, allurement with foreign money seems to silently sanction attacks on the community. Violence against the community seems to flare up even at the slightest provocation.
This is a clear case that a social mindset has been created, through word of mouth and the media, whereby the minorities are demonised to the point that violence against them has become the norm. Global terrorism has contributed to this. 'All terrorists are Muslims' has been made the fodder of social thinking. One should keep in mind the fact that the demonisation of minorities is consistent with Golwalkar and RSS's theory that Muslims and Christians are a threat to Hindu nation.
There are questions now being raised about our democracy. Democracy should not only ensure that citizens are treated equally, it also stands for affirmative action for weaker sections of society. As such the litmus test of democracy is the welfare and security of minorities. Hindutva groups like the RSS, have moved from the margins of the movement for independence, to successfully manipulating the democratic space to abolish, precisely the values which gave it a space to stand. Defamed following Gandhi’s assassination by one of its ideologues, it gained an acceptable face after Jayapraksh Narayan gave it the charge of the movement, which led to emergency and later formation of Janata Party.
RSS also planted its swayamsevaks in different walks of social and political life—in education, media, police, bureaucracy. Its political wing, Jana Sangh became part of Janata party. This ensured that large number of swayamsevaks become part of media establishment. And later during the NDA regime, they had a field day. Capping these efforts was Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, intensifying social engineering in Adivasi areas. With US administration coining the term 'Islamic terrorism' and spreading the propaganda that Madrassas are there for training terrorists, RSS completed its indoctrination.
It first spread hate and divided communities, encouraging 'hating the other’—the basis of communal violence. Communal violence has been facilitated by the communalised state apparatus, sections of police in particular, leading to polarisation of communities
No wonder a party which managed two seats in parliament in 1984 elections has become a formidable force today, knocking off democratic values and imposing their religion-based nationalism.
Though not in power in the Centre, its machinations are polarising the society all over, creating divisions in the society, trampling the rule of law and paving the way for creeping fascism. What is happening today is a reminder of how things happened in Germany, with Hitler leading the carnage. Beginning with hate-the-Jews and, later, hate-the-Christian-minorities campaigns, and then, targeting the communists and trade unionists it created the stifling atmosphere of fascism. Today we seem to be helplessly watching a similar situation emerge. While RSS is behaving like a bull on a rampage, Bajrang Dal is planting bombs, its workers openly flaunting arms and distributing trishuls. The so-called UPA alliance at the helm seems to be a helpless observer, the whole machinery having come down with the communal virus.
Where do we go from here? Opposition to this fascist politics, fighting it tooth and nail cannot be postponed by a single minute. It is high time that all those believing in democractic values and welfare of all came together and put an end to the politics of hate. A popular front at social and political level is the need of the day. The power-seeking politicians may not look beyond their personal gains but this shouldn’t stop social movements from putting pressure on them. It is not just a question of opposing a political party. The question pertains to allowing the RSS version of Hinduism taking over Kabir’s and Gandhi’s Hinduism. Do we keep watching, as mere spectators, innocent minorities being made scapegoats of fascist politics? Do we let the democratic space be usurped by those wanting to name the nation state after a religion?
Whether India will nurture the values of freedom movement and strive for human rights for all depends on us as never before has the concept of democracy been in such a grave danger of losing its essence.
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