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.