Rising Shadow
of Trident: Modi’s
Victory in Gujarat
Ram Puniyani
The recent electoral victory of Narendra Modi, his
third consecutive one (Dec 2012), has drawn lot of applause from a section of
society and he is being projected as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. It’s
another matter that BJP, itself is in shambles as far as electoral arena is
concerned and its NDA allies are unlikely to endorse Modi, given his aggressive
communal politics and the authoritarian style of his functioning. One knows that
this victory of Modi was predicted by many exit polls, one also knows his
victory was not a smooth sail, as by now the dissatisfaction from his policies,
his style of functioning is adversely affecting a large number of Gujarat
population. The people of Gujarat turned out in big numbers to cast their vote.
Many commentators feel that his win is due to his
development policies, that he has won again is an endorsement of his claims of
development of Gujarat. The development model undertaken by Modi is a total
surrender to the favored industrial houses, which are having a gala time in
Gujarat. The shiny malls and roads of Gujarat hide behind them the travails of
the deprived and marginalized sections of Gujarat, the villages in particular.
Every Nano car rolling out from Tata car is subsidized by the state to the
extent of Rs 60000. The hype of development propaganda, managed by the American
Company APCO Worldwide, which has already worked for notorious dictators like
Sani Abacha (Nigeria) and Nurusultan NAzarbayev (Life President of Kazagistan),
has done its job well again. The job by this agency has been done so well that
anybody questioning the development of Gujarat is receives various derogatory labels.
As a matter of fact what Modi has done is nothing unusual and states like Maharashtra
have achieved much better in this direction, without the hype. Here comes one
of the roles of Modi, not only to hire an image maker but also to act like
Goebbels.
This so called development hides that the social
indices of Gujarat which are very much on the lower side when compared to many
other Indian states. What matters in popular perception is the image more than
reality. So this aspect of Modi’s propaganda did sell well for a section of
middle class not only in Gujarat but all over the country. Many a commentators
do buy this uncritically and attribute Modi’s victory to this factor. As its
not only the mall going middle class but even the suicide committing farmers
families, the starving dalits and Adivasis, who also vote, they feel the
reality of the ‘development’ of Gujarat in their lives, so a large turn out to
vote and in rural areas they did show that the so called development is from
the annals of make believe World.
The major factor which has worked in Modi’s favor is
the polarization which has taken place in Gujarat after the 2002 carnage. This
is one episode of violence, which has separated the communities on religious
lines. While Hindus, have bought the line that it is only due to Modi that they
are safe, at the same time Muslims know that they have not only been the major
victim of 2002, but also that post 2002, they have been totally marginalized in
physical space, with ghettoization taking place. They know that they are
physically not safe and have been pushed back economically and socially. The
real fear is stalking the lives of Muslim community as a whole. They have been
relegated to second class citizenship. Modi has given a clear message
that the nine percent Muslims don’t matter to him as he has made up his vote
bank by consolidating the Hindus by instilling the fear amongst them. Still all
Muslims do not vote against them. To begin with the Muslim majority areas have
been delimited in a way that they can’t influence in the electoral result, or
the impact of their voting is minimized. A section of trader-businessmen
Muslims did vote for Modi for sure. Another section had to vote for him out of
fear.
As far as dalits and adivasis are concerned the social
engineering unleashed by BJP associates VHP and Vanavasi Kalyan ashram has done
its job and a section of these deprived sections has been won over to the
Hindutva fold and vote for the BJP. The sense of insecurity amongst minorities
and minority women is paramount, making them withdraw into their shells. The
liberal space in the state of Gujarat has shrunk rapidly, more than in other
states. The educational institutions have been thoroughly brought under the management
of academics sympathetic to Modi’s ideology. The state now reminds one of a dictatorial
state, as pointed out by the ex- BJP chief Minister Keshubhai Patel himself. It
can be called as communal-semi fascist state. The major factor in the state is
the polarization and abolition of liberal space. This is ‘Hindu Nation’ in one
state. One is reminded of the USSR, where ‘Socialism in one state’ was the
slogan to begin with. In India while there are many states ruled by BJP, it is
Gujarat, which fits into this ‘Hindu Rashtra in one state’.
The real danger today, which is reminded by Modi’s
victory are manifold. To begin with the communal fascism is creeping in India
through deeper pores of the nation. It is said that RSS is not happy with Modi
coming to power and becoming larger than the party, the BJP. This is a
contradictory situation. RSS on one hand wants to create a Hindu Rashtra. On
the other it wants to regulate the whole process. The contradiction is that RSS
ideology pushes the nation towards dictatorial thinking, as RSS itself is
modeled on Ek Chalak Anuvartita, (controlled by single supreme dictator),
the Sar Sanghchalak, whose writ is unquestionable. At the same time one recalls
that one of the characteristics of fascisms the single charismatic leader. Modi
fits in to that model very well. It is being said that in Gujarat, the RSS and
its progeny VHP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad has been marginalized. One should know
that the RSS and its non electoral progeny is there to make the ground for
creating a communal space in which BJP can then rough shod and work for Hindu
Nation. In Gujarat, these organizations are redundant now as they have already
played their role. With Modi’s victory it’s clear that in India the communal
fascism is marching state by state, and in the social space, in a gradual
manner.
Modi’s blatant proximity to industrial houses is again
in tune with the pattern of a fascist state. Hitler was also the darling of big
capital. Hitler had mass following amongst the middle classes and could co-opt
the poor as its storm troopers, street fighters. Modi is walking the same path,
the difference being that of speed and regional variation. India being the vast
diverse nation, the Gujarat pattern stands out very clearly as a repeat of
German fascist onslaught with many differences. The other BJP ruled states are
adopting different paths, some features being common. These common features are
cultural infiltration, and relegation of minorities to the margins.
It is in this situation that those committed to
secular democracy need a rethink. At electoral level, the parties like
Congress, Samajvadi, Communist and Socialist parties, do not perceive the
threat to democracy and secularism as they should be doing. If they understand
the implications of Hindu Rashtra, the impact of Modi in hiking up the communal
politics and communal thinking, then they have to close their ranks. They need
to rise above their electoral and prime ministerial ambitions and take this
threat of communalism head on as a united front. That seems to be a very tall order
to expect from these electoral formations which so far have not demonstrated
their willingness to come together for the sake of principles. Is it thinkable
at all these parties will contemplate more in terms of saving democracy and
secularism rather than protecting their fiefdoms? Its time these parties wake
and realize that unless they hang together, the danger of communal fascism taking
over the country in the future is not ruled out. Still one knows all this is an
optimistic urge. If wishes were horses!
What can secular elements do at this point of time?
They have engaged in legal activism, advocacy work, done rehabilitation work and
conducted awareness programs to the best of their capabilities. It seems their
best is not good enough. The need for more innovative thinking to ward off the
threat of looming communalism has become more menacing with the victory of Modi.
It’s a warning signal of sorts to do our utmost to strengthen the values of
freedom movement, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. It’s time to remind
ourselves of what the preamble of our Constitution tells us. It’s time to build
a real people’s platform for secularism and democracy. It’s time for social
movements to take this issue in utmost seriousness before the situation is
created that social movements will themselves will not be permitted to march forward
for the cause of human rights of the deprived sections of society.
