India: Secular forces must realize the growing threat to the country’s pluralism (Edit, Kashmir Times)

From Kashmir Times, 26 October 2013

Editorial

Communal fascist onslaught

Secular forces must realize the growing threat to the country’s pluralism

Union minister Jairam Ramesh’s statement that the next general elections in the country would see a fight between Congress and RSS, not BJP, thus clearly distinguishing BJP from the RSS, not only betrays ignorance but also shows lack of concern for growing threat of this communal fascist outfit to the country’s age-old pluralism. It will be wrong for the secular forces to distinguish between the RSS and BJP as the latter is the political face of the former, which camouflages itself as a cultural organization. Ramesh has rightly described the BJP as a “wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company based in Nagpur (RSS headquarters)”. The RSS has a clear agenda of making India as a Hindu Rashtra, where minorities and dalits have no place. This ideology, based on two nation theory, was propounded by its second sarsanghchalak, M. S Golwalkar in his book “We, or The Nationahood Defined”, which is considered as a Bible by every RSS swayamsewak, and elaborated in his other writings and lectures delivered at RSS functions. The BJP is simply an offspring of the RSS and its affairs are always manned and directed by Nagpur. Even the selection of BJP functionaries is made by RSS, as is evident from the latest decision to anoint Narendra Modi as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate.

The growth of BJP into a major political party in the country was simply due to the failure of secular parties and leaders, particularly the Congress, to understand the real character of this organization. The RSS was banned soon after Gandhiji’s assassination, due to its alleged involvement in the conspiracy, and its chief and workers were arrested throughout the country. But unfortunately, the ban was lifted by the then Home Minister Sardar Patel, after commitments made by Golwalkar that the Sangh will not only abstain from pursuing political activities, is purely a cultural organization, and will have a written constitution. This provided an opportunity to this fascist communal outfits to spread its tentacles by floating not only Jana Sangh ( BJP) as its political face but several other outfits in the name of culture, literature and reforms in Hindu society. These included Vishwa Hindu Parishad and several other bodies which have been engaged in creating communal frenzy and have even played a major role in communal riots in the country.

While the Congress, after Nehru, not only appeased this communal outfit in a number of ways, but also adopted a soft-Hindutva ideology as a matter of political convenience. Unfortunately other important secular leaders too failed to realize the grave threat to the country secular polity from this rabid communal organization, floated to carry, forward the RSS agenda of establishing a Hindu Rashtra and destroying its plural character. These included tallest of Indian socialists Jayaprakash Narayan, who sought the RSS support to fight black Emergency clamped on the country by Indira Gandhi, and another socialist stalwart and ideologue Dr Ram Manohar Lohia in the name of ousting Congress from power. (JP later lamented his decision.)

The RSS and its prime ministerial candidate are being fully backed by the corporate world, media owned by them, USA and other powers. It is for the secular parties and leaders to realize the grave threat posed by these rising communal fascist forces which, if allowed to succeed, can not only change the basic secular democratic character of the country, but also pose a serious threat even to India’s unity and integrity. Time for them to rise above narrow partisan considerations and mobilize the people to isolate these forces of communalism and bigotry. The Congress, in particular, needs to do some introspection, reoorient its policies and programmes by steadfastly adhering to secular, democratic and socialist ideology.


News Updated at : Saturday, October 26, 2013