“There was a time when India listened to me ...today I’m a back number” this was the reaction of Mahatma Gandhi to Lord Mountbatten when latter appealed Gandhiji to do some miracle in Delhi like he had during communal violence in East Bengal and Kohat in the North-western Frontier Province.
This was during September-October, 1947, at that time Delhi flooded with desperate, tormented refugees from Pakistan, who cared nothing but their life and future and an opportunity to unleash vengeance for their sufferings in Pakistan. The entire Government of India has remained in a perplexity between the “rehabilitation of the world’s largest refugees, unprecedented settlement issues of the partition and the Kashmir problem”
Gandhiji was well-known about the changing psychological condition of the people of India. He told to his secretary Pyarelal as quoted by Manohar Malgonkar in his “The man who killed Gandhi”, “we are biding fair to say goodbye to non-violence.”
Though he was much concerned about the communal harmony than the Political and administrative issues, which was also justified, as it was the responsibility of the government. He pressurized Nehru and Patel to take all necessary steps so that the communal harmony between two communities prevailed. Gandhiji exhorted them, “If Delhi goes, India goes, and with that goes the last hope of World Peace.”
The problem with Mahtama Gandhi has he tackled the situation as a saint, a pious heart which throbbed for Peace, Non-violence, and Brotherhood, not as a Politician. Gandhiji tried his best to pacify the situation through his ultimate weapon “fast unto death”. Before, with this, he had successfully forced the most obstinate situation to genuflect. But this time the situation was different, people had little care about him, moreover, they (refugees) shouted: “let Gandhi die, Give us shelter.” The latter part of the whole state of affairs is well known to everyone. The Messiah of peace and non-violent assassinated by his own man, whom really believed as “Amrutasya Putrah” (children of nectar).
The situation of hatredness at present circumstance is similar but not identical when we are celebrating the 70 years of our Independence and 75 years of Quit India movement. Many instances are there which fuelled the communal tension, but the sagacity of Gandhiji’s concept, idealism prevented the nation from break apart. Although many Political parties effectively encashed the communal, religious revulsion, once they got elected through democratic process to form a government they at least pretended to be the followers of the secularism and Gandhian Ideals. However, at present-day government lead by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is quite different from the previous government. This is quite evident when Hamid Ansari (a two-term vice president of India) in his farewell remark pointed out the growing “intolerance” “feeling of insecurity” among the masses, the entire BJP and its allies reacted violently to him. They termed Mr. Ansari’s statement as anti-national and linked him to a mafia don-turned politician (Mukhtar Ansari).
I’m not going through all the instances like when Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister did not show an iota of remorse to the 2002 Gujarat violence where more than 2000 persons from a particular minority community massacred by the majority community. He had said in an interview, “Another thing, any person if we are driving a car, we are a driver, and someone else is driving a car and we're sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will be painful or not? Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, the Hindu Yuva Vahini Armies of Yogi Adityanath, a Mahanta turned Chief minister sloganed “Gorakhpur mein rahena ho to Yogi yogi kahena hoga”( If you want to remain in Gorakhpur you must chant Yogi Yogi) . In another instance, BJP chief minister from Haryana, Manoharlal Khatar reacted “If you want freedom, why don't they just roam around naked?” when BJP state president’s son accused of “attempt abduction” of an IAS officer’s daughter.
BJP came to power at the center with absolute majority (282 seats in Loksabh)after two decades, within three years it formed it’s government almost in 18 states, became majority party in upper house with 58 representatives( August, 2017), it also effortlessly elected its candidates as president of India, Vice president of India, Speaker of Lower house. Besides this, appointed the officers who are having analogous to its ideology at the key positions like Niti Ayog, RBI governor, National Security Adviser (NSA), Economic Advisor.
BJP came to power with alluring promises like rejuvenating Nationalism, corruption free governance, Ideal based Politics. Out of total votes 31% popular votes (171,660,230) polled in support of the BJP. According to an independent estimation, among the popular votes polled for BJP most are the youngsters. It is a matter of rejoice that when India gradually losing its faith on the democratic electoral system the BJP reaffirmed it. But the irony is that soon the Party which comes to power through a democratic system based on the glorious traditions of universal brotherhood, acceptance, compassion, non-violence thoroughly planned to break it. By all the tricks and tactics it gradually pushes its Hindu Nationalist agenda.
A moth’s back an email (pic-1) from an editor of a news agency reached me; in it he paid a high praise for Narendra Modi. The narration goes on how Mr. Modi wants how to change the constitution, the election system etc. What he has related to the Mr. Modi may be his personal view but there are similar views flooded in all the social media platforms. I investigated and found that all is a part of BJP’s Propaganda strategy.
How they used a well-planned propaganda to tackle every situation is evident from the following incident,
Yogi Adityanath, before becoming the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh was very much popular for his Hardcore Hindutva agenda and guts. The yardstick to measure the “guts” of Yogi Adityanath is from two angles one is people perception of his caste to which he belongs, secondly, his series of alleged actions towards particular community /caste.
In January 2007, Uttar Pradesh Government run by Samajwadi Party had taken a few preventive steps to check Yogi Adityanath’s alleged plan to instigate communal violence, then who was a BJP MP from Gorakhpur constituency. The state government had withdrawn Yogi’s security cover ad put him behind bars for 11 days. After releasing in bail, when he attended the Loksabha, in zero hour, while narrating he state government action against him, he broke into tears, he appealed speaker for his protection.
As narrated by Dhirendra K. Jha in his “shadow Armies”- “The Sight of Adityanath shedding tears shocked Thakur Supporters. It was seen as a sign o weakness, unbecoming of a male belonging to a martial caste. Soon, However, his subordinates, Hindu Yuva Vahini, and BJP started re building his image, arguing that he was a sensitive man, full of emotions even as many locals called him a coward capable only of spreading mob violence.”
(Continued...)
