The Countdown Begins

So, Dr. Singh has finally moved the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. He's finally rid of an enemy posing as an ally and the Left parties have lost their chance to show what they could have done as part of a Central government. They've shown themselves to be petty-minded and unable to break out of a Cold War mindset, despite the fall of the Berlin wall over 17 years ago. Well, it's their loss, not ours--but what surprises me is the double-faced nature of the BJP response. They have worked hard to improve Indo-US and Indo-Israel ties while in power and have done their bit to end India's nuclear isolation, which began in 1998, immediately after the nuclear tests. But--and this is important, considering the fact that the party is ostensibly led by mature men like Vajpayee and Advani--they have chosen to come out against the deal. Are they now getting into election mode? Do they honestly think they will be able to make a dent in double-digit inflation, which has been caused due to a world-wide rise in petroleum prices? Don't they realise that India needs nuclear power for its energy security and needs to be recognised by the other nuclear states? Or do they want the honour of signing the deal for themselves?

Another interesting fact--none of the MPs who are supporting the UPA are doing so because they are animated by national interest--they all have their legal cases or petty little problems to be sorted out by the Central Government. So the law (and development) takes a backseat, while petty criminals exercise their power. Now that Mayawati is no longer persona grata in Delhi, plans for a Lucknow airport or the refurbishment thereof are on hold and ALL the cases against her have been handed over to the CBI. And since Mulayam is helping the UPA, cases against him have been dropped. If a professional dentist like Dr. Talwar or a factory worker like Mohan, the brother of his compounder, can lose their jobs because of the stigma of being involved in a criminal investigation, why can't our politicians be deprived of power unless they can prove themselves innocent in a court of law? If we abide by the rule of law, then that law should apply to all citizens, including Mayawati, Mulayam, Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadav et. al. And had the BJP been in this quandary, they would have also allied with the same people, despite ideological or electoral differences.

What Does one do with a Problem Called Modi?

So there’s cheer and hubris in the BJP party office, as they dream of replicating their Gujarat triumph across India.At the risk of sounding facetious, I wonder what the BJP leaders would drink to celebrate victory. If they’re teetotalers, champagne would be out, so would they celebrate with Gangajal instead? Although, considering the level of pollution in India’s holiest river, I wonder if they would risk it--they’d probably end up with some horrible digestive disorder.

Of course, the Modi victory has been hailed abroad, amongst the Gujarati diaspora. I’m being very cautious here--no one spoke of responses from the Indian diaspora as a whole. It seems to be a sad fact, but once Indians go abroad, they tend to cling to people who share their caste and language affiliations, rather than a broad Indian affiliation. The Indian identity tends to break down, in favour of a Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Brahmin or Sikh identity. Evidently, the Gujarati diaspora wants Modi to get a US visa. I’d prefer to get him a UK visa and see him tried for the deaths of two British nationals, who were killed in the course of the 2002 riots. Their crime--being born Muslim. Even a British passport could not save them.

So what should the centrist parties do to face the Modi onslaught? They’re in a position very similar to that faced by the governments of Britain and France after the Depression, with the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in Italy and Gernamy. Both Hitler and Mussolini were popular with businessmen, because "the trains ran on time." Industrialists and workers in Germany and Italy were organised in groups and the government did its utmost to encourage good relations, in an effort to improve production, and then set up an army that would (it was claimed) fight the communists in Russia. However, Mussolini began by trying to take over Ethiopia, whereas Hitler began with the takeover of Austria and Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Chamberlain and his French counterpart did not wake up until Poland was attacked.

What the Congress and like-minded parties need to do is to focus on development and good governance. Why should it be a Modi prerogative? The Congress, especially, needs to focus on developing strong leaders in each state. What you now have is a bunch of quarrelling and sycophantic courtiers in the Congress party. And it needs to take itself seriously as a secular party. So see to it that Mr. Tytler receives a proper trial, not just an exoneration certificate from the CBI, for his role in the 1984 riots. Only then can you afford to call Modi a "merchant of death".

A Victory based on Filmi Histrionics

So the voters of Gujarat have proved wrong the old adage that "you can fool some people all the time and all the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time." They have been cleverly manipulated into electing a man who may well have been behind the riots of 2002. His victory is not dissimilar to that of another demagogue who was supported by the business class in his country and eventually led it to defeat and ruin some twelve years later. In fact, Adolf Hitler too was a media manipulator and orator who pushed the Germans into World War II, talking of a hundred year reich and gave them a defeated, broken, divided and humiliated nation some six years later. One hopes that Modi will not do the same to Gujarat, if not to India. The fear is that the BJP might decide to follow the Modi model elsewhere in India,ignoring the fact that what might work in a prospering state with a large number of high-caste voters and a small minority population might not work elsewhere in India.

The other problem I have with the BJP and Narendra Modi is the response one gets from the average Hindu, whose relationship with his/her religion might extend to no more than a visit to the local temple, the recitation of a few shlokas, a blind adherence to faith and an equally blind belief in the greatness of "Hindu" (read ancient) India. They remind me a lot of Alberuni’s description of the Indians he met--they believe that no country is greater than theirs, no gods are greater and no knowledge is greater than theirs. If we have this attitude when we are yet on the path to development, how will we be able to develop further?

If we are to be truly honest, so-called "Hindu" India was largely Jain and Buddhist--Brahmanical Hinduism lost its popularity with the spread of agriculture, as opposed to the herding society described in the Vedas. Hinduism underwent a great transformation during that period, losing many of its Vedic elements and acquiring many pre-Vedic elements, such as mother goddess worship, and also elements not even mentioned in the Vedas, such as the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and the Manusmriti, the bane of women and the lower castes. Many of the worst excesses of Hinduism, such as the prohibition against travelling beyond the seven seas, came about in the early medieval period, when trade with the Roman Empire dried up due to the Hun invasions in North India and Europe. Buddhism and Jainism, which defied the Vedas, could only be defeated by the adherents of Advaitavada--those who acknowledged that all atmas are also part of Parmatma (all-soul), which theoretically meant that differences of caste or sex were unimportant if one was truly devoted to the gods.

Much of what is best about Hinduism came about through its interaction with Islam and modern European thought. I’m referring to the Bhakti movement, which sought to go beyond temples and rituals and priests to create a personal relationship between devotees and the gods they worshipped. I’m also referring to the Brahmo Samaj of Rammohan Roy, which fought against Sati, Iswarchandra Vidyasagar who fought for widow remarriage and Swami Vivekananda, who dreamt of a religion that would unite the Advaitavada of Hinduism with the egalitarianism of Islam--"a Hindu head on an Islamic body" is how Swamiji put it. His guru, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, had lived as a Brahmin, a Muslim and a woman and experienced Parmatma in all three guises.

This is what the "Hindus" of today seem to forget. They claim to be marginalized and ignored in a country where they are the majority. It’s a little like an 800-pound gorilla claiming that it is being terrorised by mice! They fail to realize that fear is often used to win votes--and this fear may have no basis in reality. At one time, grannies would tell kids to go to sleep, else the buddha baba would come get them. Now, politicians tell the people to vote for them, else face terrorist attacks. President Bush has done it in the US and it appears that the BJP, although it fears the 123 agreement as a threat to India’s nuclear ambitions, is quite ready to follow his example in its election strategy.

"No!"

The newspapers and television channels carry regular updates on the Taslima Nasreen affair--how she has been hounded out of Kolkata due to the fury of Islamic fundamentalists and is now living under heavy security in Rajasthan Bhawan. What amazes me about the Indian political system is the ease with which fundamentalists of various hues--especially saffron and green--can hold it to ransom. Remember the Shah Bano case and the banning of Satanic Verses?

Although the BJP demands that Ms. Nasreen be treated as a political refugee and be given asylum, they have also targeted M. F. Hussain in the past, for his nude paintings of goddesses. What these so-called protectors of Indian culture seem to forget is that women have been depicted bare-breasted in paintings and sculpture of the ancient Indian period. Take a look at Ajanta and Ellora, please! Their aesthetic sense is nourished by the work of Raja Ravi Varma, who depicted Indian gods and goddesses in a style favoured by the imperialist Victorian British government. They should take a good look at a work by Phalguni Dasgupta, which depicts a nude Shiva, lying on the ground, while a nude Kali dances over his prone form. This illustrates the saying that Shiva without Shakti is a Shava (dead body).

What the Indian political class understands by the term secularism is kowtowing to the so-called religious sentiments of the orthodox minority to maintain communal harmony. We need a muscular secularism that will say "No!" to fundamentalists of all hues who try to prevent Indians from presenting their point of view on subjects associated with religion.

Tehelka Sting Reveals the Truth of 2002 Riots

So the truth is finally out, and on tape too! Those who did the dirty work of killing innocent Indian citizens in Gujarat have described what they did. And of course, once the tapes have been shown to be part of a sting operation conducted by Tehelka, they and their masters in the BJP have either stated that their remarks were taken out of context or have questioned the timing of the operation. Considering the fact that the BJP spent a lot of time post-Operation Westend trying to destroy Tehelka, I'm not surprised at their behaviour now. Just goes to show what it takes to rise in Indian politics--a willingness to shed the blood of fellow citizens who belong to another religion, caste or class, a complete lack of shame and the hide of a rhino when caught admitting to a crime. No wonder so many Indian politicians commit murder in their private lives while inciting others to commit murder in public--they feel they can get away with it, they are the power in the land!

Thankfully, the Delhi High Court has recognized the fact that politicians are the least respected form of life on Indian roads. So the judges have told politicians to stay home and not roam the roads with their Z-class security. This security apparatus has become a status symbol and might not be necessary in many cases.

Ram Rajya or Ravana Rajya?

It was ironic yesterday to read of Narendra Modi's faith in Ram Rajya and the values espoused by Gandhiji and his refusal to think in terms of religion. This irony gains greater bite when you realise that the Godhra panel is checking the Gujarat CM's call records--records of calls made by himself, his ministers and VHP leaders to those accused of rioting and taking lives. In his latest interview, Modi would like other Indian states to emulate the administrative model he has set up for Gujarat. I wonder if that also includes the aiding and abetting of rioters, to get a Modi-fied result for his party, the BJP?

If it were not so horrible, I would laugh to see the BJP, heir to the RSS, which always opposed Gandhiji and his struggle against the British, now proclaim their adherence to the values he espoused. It's something, to see the very ideology that nourished your assassin, now trying to absorb your ideas in its fold.

So why the comparison of Modi with Ravana and not Rama? For one thing, it was Ravana who ran a terrorist state--his rakshasa hordes were the terror of the ascetics who welcomed the advent of Lord Rama into the forest, to free them from this tyrant and enable them to perform their austerities in peace. Very similar to the artists of Gujarat (remember Chandramohan? What became of him?) who live in fear of the Bajrang Dal, who call themselves worshippers of Hanuman, but who really respect nothing but the lathi and the gun. Aditi Mangaldas, the noted dancer, has refused to accept an award given her by the states' cultural council, in protest against the lack of cultural freedom.

And Lanka, like Gujarat today, was prosperous--but both states had little respect for the law (remember Sita, the wife of a "poor forest dweller," picked up by its ruler, Ravana?) and believed in finders being keepers--the biggest looters in the 2002 riots in Gujarat were not the slum-dwellers, as in Delhi 1984, but the middle classes. People displaced by the 2002 riots have returned to their homes provided they do not name their neighbours in the ongoing investigations.

This not only proves that Modi is a fit heir for Ravana, not Rama, but also proves that the BJP, far from being different from the Congress, was worse. Rajiv Gandhi may have been foolish and insensitive when he made the remark about the earth trembling when a big tree falls, but he did call out the army to restore order within four days. And neighbours, instead of pouring kerosene on their Sikh fellow citizens, did hide them in their homes and did keep watch over the approaches to their colonies. I know, because I saw this first-hand. What did Mr. Modi do? He refused to listen to his Prime Minister, a wise old man, who spoke of rajdharma, of the need to take care of all Gujaratis, ignoring religious denominations and differences.

Will Gujarat fall to fire and the sword, the way Lanka did? And will a true Ram Rajya be ushered in then? I don't know--I am not Tiresias.