ENARADA, New Delhi
By Ajay N Jha
The more Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi speaks on national issues from any public platform, the more outrage and indignation he attracts from the majority of people across the country. Any political leader of national stature is known for the careful choice of words, idioms and dignity even while criticizing his opponents. Even when the BJP’s tallest leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to address the public, his words and expressions never crossed the Rubicon (Maryada) of civility and even his most pungent barbs were in the form of some poetic lines or couplets.
The BJP was voted to power in 1999 because of Vajpayee’s personal stature and his ‘secular image within the BJP orbit’. Socialist parties also supported him and George Fernandes was made the Convenor of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which was a conglomeration of 24 parties. The downhill slide in and art of public speaking started becoming disgraceful during the Presidentship of Nitin Gadkari. On many occasions, Gadkari’s tongue slipped and boarded on lunacy and late Dada kondke style of jokes and jibes. Narendra Modi appears to have carried that acrimonious and outrageous style of tongue lashing ahead by miles. Perhaps be believes in being downright crude and does not mind swinging his shovel below the belt and the NDA has already converted into National Communal Alliance(NCA) because of his despicable and divisive comments.
It is indeed ironical that while on the one hand, he talks about his agenda to ‘woo the Muslims’ while on the other his utterances about ‘puppies and burqa of secularism’ make of mockery of his own efforts and intentions. And yet he feels that more than 1.2 billion plus people of this multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious country would associate with him. It is still open to debate if the people of India would like to see a Pracharak like Narendra Modi to become the next Prime Minister of the country who swings himself between a national clown and a fire-spitting saffron Commander.
No wonder then that senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh who has been taking him head on, called him a fascist. Digvijaya Singh asked “Isn’t Modi and now BJP’s slogan of Congress Mukt Bharat Fascist? All other non-BJP, non-communal political parties please respond”.Singh’s calrion call to ‘all non-BJP, non-communal parties’ comes at a time when there is a realization in both national parties that the next Lok Sabha election could ultimately be a game of alliances. The next Lok Sabha will also depend the way the regional parties like BJD, TDP, YSR Congress, JD-U, RJD, Trinamool Congress, SP and BSP behave and align with.
Interestingly, BJP’s earlier slogan ‘Bhay, Bhook, Bharashtachar Mukt Bharat’ has replaced Modi’s slogan “Congress Mukt Bharat”. Now in Modi’s BJP, Bhay Mukt, Bhrashtachar Mukt Bharat appears to have taken a back seat and it is only going to create more complications for it in the coming days. Not only Bihar Chief minister Nitish kumar of JD(U) broke alliance with BJP on the issue of secularism, even the TMC Supremo Mamta Banerjee made it clear that She would never support Modi.
At present, the National Communal Alliance(NCA) seems to be confined to only BJP, Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) and all of them have been conspicuous by their communal agenda. The BJP has been following the hardline Hindutwa mode, thanks to LK Advani’s rath yatra and the demolition of Babri masjid which created more communal tension in the country.
Shiv sena, on the other hand, has been known as a communal and anti-minorities party under the leadership of Balasaheb Thackeray. He tried on his anti- South Indian, anti- Gujaratis, anti-Muslims utterances . The fallout of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement had caused tension across the country. Thackeray used his party newspaper and mouth piece, Saamna, in which, just on the eve of the Babri Masjid demolition, he wrote an incendiary editorial, ‘Towards Ayodhya’. He is quoted as saying, “Now, no one can stop the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. An ocean of millions of Ram devotees is surging to Lord Ram’s Ayodhya. Our brave Shiv Sainiks are also joining in.” There has been no independent corroboration of the participation of Shiv Sainiks in the demolition. But Thackeray is believed to have said that if that was true, then he was proud of them. The CBI, however, named him as one of the accused in the Babri demolition and accused him of conspiracy.
The ‘anti-Muslim’ tag, earned greater currency post the demolition as the terrible communal riots in 1993 tore Mumbai apart. Over 1,000 Muslims were killed and once again, the Sena was accused of playing an active role. Perhaps, the strongest evidence to support Mr Thackeray’s alleged hatred for Muslims is found in the report compiled by the Justice BN Srikrishna Commission which looked into the riots and indicted Thackeray and Sena leaders.
In a searing comment, Justice Srikrishna said, “There is no doubt that the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks took the lead in organising attacks on Muslims and their properties under the guidance of several leaders of the Shiv Sena from the level of Shakha Pramukh to the Shiv Sena pramukh, Bal Thackeray who, like a veteran General, commanded his loyal Shiv Sainiks to retaliate by organised attacks against Muslims.”
Mr Thackeray was tried and acquitted in several cases but only for hate speech and never for conspiracy and the mass killings. His party too denied the accusation claiming had it not been for the Shiv Sena, Mumbai would have burnt even longer. Much later, Mr Thackeray had issued a call to form Hindu suicide squads to counter Islamic fundamentalism and terror in India. But he would also soften his stance stating he was not against all Muslims but only those who acted against the country’s interest.
However, the people of this country have not forgotten that BJP, for political expediency, did not hesitate to join hands with a rabid communal party like Shiv sena whose leader had been barred from voting for six years by Election Commission of India following Mumbai High Court ruling which pulled him up for appealing people to vote on caste and communal lines. Balasehb Thackeray could not vote from 1999 till 2005 including 1999 and 2005 Assembly elections, the 2001 BMC elections and the 2004 lok Sabha Elections.
Till his death, Balasaheb Thackeray maintained the same hard posture. However, Udhav Thackeray has made it clear that Modi would have to bend if he wanted Shiv sena support for granted.
The Other BJP ally is Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) which remained a part of the Khalistan movement and burnt Indian constitution and Indian tricolour. Akali Dal too has been a communal party. How Ironical that Modi who claims to be a staunch nationalist and a Hindutwa icon has joined hands with those who insulted India’s constitution and national Flag. And Modi still thinks that the voters of India would help him reach his magic target of 272 plus seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls of 2014. What a chutzpah.!!!
(Posted on August 20, 2013 @ 9.30pm)
(Ajay N Jha is a veteran journalist from both Print and Electronic media. He is the President and CEO of WICS Global Communications. His email id is Ajay N Jha <ajayjha30@gmail.com> )
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