Saturday 21 July 2012

OMINOUS SIGNAL FOR SECULARISM IN INDIA!

Recent happenings in "Sangh Parivar", led by Rashtriya Swambsewak Sangh(RSS) exactly bring back to the memory of horror in India in the wake of Babari Masjid demolition and subsequent massacres of Muslims in riots throughout the country in late 1980s. Intense  infighting , power struggle in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its cohorts in the Sangh Pariwar, a strange development is taking place in the saffron party-BJP-a political wing of the RSS! There is a strange craze for bringing the Gujarat Chief minister and a Hindu fanatic Narendra Modi on the national forefront as prime ministerial candidate in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in 1914. It is a fact that Narendra Modi is capable of creating stir in uniting Hindu, particularly its youths  throughout the country, thanks to the RSS-the BJP's progenitor, ideological mentor, political master and organisational gatekeeper.All these happenings will remind us how the Babari Masjid was demolished under the patronage of senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in Ayodhaya , giving bad name to the secular fabric of India as well as insecurity among minority communities, particularly Muslims.

 Only because of these developments, the BJP succeeded in uniting Hindu votes throughout the country and remained in power for  over six years in the shape of National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Following the sad demolition of Babari Masjid in Ayodhaya , not only thousands of Muslims were killed in different places of the country but also rampant rise in terrorists activities, spearheaded by fanatic Muslim organisations in collaborations with the fanatic Muslims of the world resulted into killings of hundreds of persons in different bomb explosions in the country in the last 15 years. India continues to be a sensitive and has become more and more prone to terror activities.
Notwithstanding Narendra Modi cannot be forgotten for his dubious role and stigma of 2002 Gujarat riots in which thousands of Muslims were butchered with the tacit support of Modi as chief minister of Gujarat, the Hindu and Sangh Pariwar is giving weight to Modi because of his ability to encourage and incite party cadre as well as other wings of Sangh Pariwar through his demagoguery, his martial image and his vicious war-mongering rhetoric.An eminent columnist Praful Bidwai, in a recent article in  an English fortnightly,  has said, "Modi has become the BJP's membership's  biggest hero to whom everyone must knot ow.But Modi has also proved himself petty-minded, parochial, egotistic, viciously self-serving and vindictive.Whether or not this is compatible with the stature of a national leader, the RSS seems to have decided that Modi is the winning horse; he must be backed."
More over May-24 and 25, 2012 meeting of the national executive of the BJP in Mumbai saw some emergence of "second generation" leadership in the BJP following the eclipse of Atal Behari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Adavani's hold over the organisation. And the Mumbai meeting ended with Narendra Modi emerging as strong leader in the party, obviously for managing next general elections of the Lok Sabha. taking into account the image of Modi among Hindu fanatics, the RSS has to digest many abnormal situations to placate him. If anybody goes by unprecedented welcome of Modi in Mumbai meeting, Modi's emergence as undisputed and uncontested leader of the  BJP in recent past. The absence of L K Advani and Sushama Swarajya from the public meeting in Mumbai after national executive session, obviously to exptress their reservation over encouragement of Modi by Sangh Pariwar, particularly RSS remained symbolic and ineffectual.
Modi's gradual emergence at the national scene is not because of his exoneration by the Supreme court-appointed  Special Investigation Team (SIT)  under former director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) R K RAghavan for the massacre of 69 people including former member of Parliament Ahsan Jafari in the Gulbarg Society case or the so called hype about development in Gujarat under the stewardship of Modi. Rather many more hidden things are behind his propping up by Sangh Pariwar.-mainly that is internal dynamics, electoral calculations based on bulk  of Hindu votes and also the Modi's ability to raise  maximum funds for the party for spending in the next elections.Modi has rewarded the capitalists and industrialists with open arms in the recent years. Almost all industrialists and capitalists including Ambani Brothers,-Anil and Mukesh Ambanis, Sunil Bharati Mittal, Ratan Tata as well as home-grown businessmen- such as Gautam Adnani and Karsan Patel besides some big multinationals including Maruti Motors of Japan etc have welcomed Modi and praised him for giving them opportunity to set-up flourishing industrial units in his state In getting support from Modi, at least these big capitalists and industrialists have forgotten Modi's hands soiled with blood in communal carnage in Gujarat because Modi led Gujarat government have given them free hands, ignoring rule of law in the state! "They rather consider Modi most" ideal . next leader of India", Prafulla Bidwai said and added "these  industrial magnates consider Modi as an inspiring leader with whom Gujarat is blessed, whose flawless execution of Gujarat development model."
Interestingly the scenes in Gujarat are not like that what are being painted.. The official human development Report (2004) has said that the Gujarat has achieved only 48 percent of the targets set for human development.Gujarat's achievements on the front of illiteracy, education, health, nutrition, welfare and social security are much lower that than its gross domestic products growth rates. It has gone down in many sectors even the state is fourth rank of all states  in percapita income in the country-, it has gone down at number -six in education and number nine in health care as well as its sex ratio is much below the national average. On malnutrition and hungers, the Gujarat has worse rankings.Amid tall claim of plenty of power, the electricity crisis is there in many parts of the state. Praful Bidwai, who has visited to Mundra in Kutch, where a huge 4,600 MW private power station exists and another 4000 MW is coming up.He has said  that the zone have frequent power cuts.
In Mumbai's meeting , Modi was called "Gujarat Ka sher" (lion of Gujarat) and glorified as greatest leader of India.Praful Bidwai has said, " the Sangh Pariwar is looking for a quasi-fuehrer, the Supreme Leader, behind whom BJP cadres can rally in war-like formation-no matter how incompatible such bellicosity is with democratic process and how it vitiates India's social and political climate."
In my opinion such impending  political scenes must be antagonising everybody, beieving secular, socialist, democratic republic in India.But the gambles of RSS goes how far depends on the maturity of the Indian electorate? It is definite facts that with the energence of Modi on the national political scene and his so called ability to mobilise Hindus of the country-there are many if and buts in giving him chance to rule the nation. Chances of a number of political allies like JD(U) led by its national president Sharad Yadav and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar alienating from Modi could not be ruled out.
 But their past records have different story. If the past history of BJP-RSS combine's refusal to act against Modi  for his role in carnage of Muslims in Gujarat  during last NDA rule at the centre led by Atal Behari Vajpayee, is taken into consideration,,except Lok Jan Shakti Party of Ram Bilas Paswan, who quit NDA to protest Gujarat riots, the JD(U) of Nitish Kumar, who is currently keeping Narendra Modi at a distance in his home state Bihar being BJP , a coalitoon partner of his government, had failed to speak against Modi or Gujarat riots or hold an enquiry into Godhara train burning as railway minister during those period. Now let us hope , this time Nitish Kumar is in stroneger position and to woe Muslims , his JD(U) may desert NDA if Narebdra Bhai plunges in national politics as Sangh Pariwar's prime ministerial candidate in next Lok sabha elections. Nitish Kumar himself claims as prime ministerial nominee on behalf of NDA for next Lok Sabha elections
But for that Sangh Pariwar may make alternative arrangements like aligning with AIDMK of Jayalalitha, Biju Janata Dal of Navin Patnaik, TDP of Chandrabanu Naidu,  Bahujan Samajwadi Party of Mayawati, TC of West Bengal chief minister mercurial Mamata Bannerjee  and floating parties like National Conference of Adbdulla  and Assam Gon Parishad, Janata Dal (Secular) of Deve Gowda as they  had been in the NDA rule in 1998-2004 led by the  BJP or alingned with Sangh Pariwar this way or that way  in case  Narendra Modi  succeeds in emerging Sangh Pariwar's BJP as largest party in the next :Lok Sabha elections!

But strong secular parties like left parties including CPI, CPM, etc as well as Rashtriya Janata Dal of Laloo Prasad Yadav, Samajwadi Party of Mulayam singh Yadav , which had been all opposed to NDA during its rule in the country, are already there to counter such move. And the Congress is itself gear its loins to face Narendra Modi's onslaughts lock, stock and barrel. And of all there may be polarisation of votes of minority communities, particularly Muslims against Hindu fanatics mobilisation in the country under the leadership of Narendra Bhai Modi.
Muslims account of 13.4 percent votes of total population of the country. All minorities together constitute 18.4 percent-(Christian-2.3pc; Sikh-1.90 pc, Buddhist-08 pc, Parasi-0.007pc. Over 100 districts have Muslims largest population. Will these population will remain silent spectators in case of fire- balling of Narendra Modi during next elections under the patronage of Sangh and Hindu Pariwar? Will not Narendra Bhai Modi be isolated for destroying  secular fabric of the Indian democracy? How far RSS gamble to put Narendra Modi will succeed in view of ignoring top-ranking BJP leaddrs in the country?

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