Opinion Out of my mind: On being 64
Madrasas, yet again, have become schools of terrorism. Goan Christians were told to declare themselves Hindus.
The rise of Dalit and OBC parties during the past 25 years attests to the failure of the upper-caste elitism of the Congress, dressed as it was in socialist garb.
Power, Lord Acton said, tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even the 100 days of power have gone to the heads of BJP activists. The decisive majority delivered by Narendra Modi was taken to be due to themselves and also seen as a vindication of their sectarian beliefs rather than what he actually said during the campaign.
Thus, the usual misbehaviour followed. Blatant anti-Muslim sentiments expressed in intolerant terms such as ‘love jihad’. Obviously the object of protection are ‘our girls’, seduced by ‘those horrible’ Muslim boys and converted. Our boys may marry ‘their girls’ forcibly, or not, but that is not the issue. Lies can be concocted once again about cow slaughter and export of beef by Muslim businesses, even by a minister. Madrasas, yet again, have become schools of terrorism. Goan Christians were told to declare themselves Hindus.
Luckily the Indian voters proved sensible. In Uttar Pradesh, they threw out the hatemongers. Within the honeymoon period, the BJP has got a wake-up call. People elected Modi because his message was positive and inclusive. They did not vote for the BJP even though that’s what the RSS may think. Voters were fed up with the corruption, incompetence and arrogance of the Congress. They were in despair about inflation, low growth and rampant unemployment. The issue was not Hindu identity or Muslim loyalties. They voted for good governance, not ideological poison.
The Prime Minister has acquired a formidable reputation of keeping his Cabinet under surveillance. There are stories, perhaps apocryphal, about him calling up ministers over their informal attire or for having coffee with businessmen in five-star hotels. It is time for him to say, without any ifs or buts, that he will have nothing to do with such misbehaviour. He wants to deliver growth, jobs and a high place for India in the global competition. He needs at least 10 years to do this. He requires a party which will become an inclusive nationalist party on the right of the political spectrum. This is what we were told he achieved in Gujarat by marginalising the VHP and RSS.
This will not be easy. Indeed it will be a distraction from his main job. He may not have many friends within the leadership of the BJP. But even so, the cost of not doing so will be large. Already it is not clear if the BJP and Shiv Sena will combine. Even if they do, it’s not clear if they can win convincingly in Maharashtra.
Incumbency did not matter in UP in the by-elections. Prithviraj Chavan may not be loved by his party, but he has a clean reputation among all the Congress chief ministers who have ruled Maharashtra. The Sena will, no doubt, play its communal card and even worse, its anti-Indian (except the Marathi manoos) message.
Modi saw, long before his party did, that Hindu majoritarianism is not an election-winning idea. Hinduism may be tolerant, but Hindu society is full of divisions by jaati.
The rise of Dalit and OBC parties during the past 25 years attests to the failure of the upper-caste elitism of the Congress, dressed as it was in socialist garb.
Mohan Bhagwat, as the chief ideologue of the RSS, revealed the embarrassment of the Hindu Rashtrawadis about this oppression recently in Delhi. He implied that the oppressed jaatis had voluntarily submitted to this oppression as they wanted to exhibit solidarity with their high-caste oppressors during slavery under Muslim rule. As distortions of history go, this must take the cake. But it shows that Hindu Rashtrawadis know that Hindu majoritarianism is a mirage. One can only be grateful for that.
Great political leaders have often built new coalitions and restructured their parties. Franklin D Roosevelt recruited African Americans to the Democratic Party despite their historical allegiance to Republicans — Abraham Lincoln’s party. Margaret Thatcher stole the working class vote from the Labour Party. Tony Blair in his turn brought back that vote and captured the middle-class suburban vote from the Tories.
Sixty-four is a good age to become a revolutionary. Modi owes it to himself and indeed to India to succeed. Despite the recent upset, there is a vacuum on the Opposition front. If Modi fails, the alternatives will be anarchic. Happy belated birthday greetings.
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