Ram Puniyani

The Parliamentary Elections of 2024 gave disappointing results for BJP. Its strength in Lok Sabha came down from 303 to 240. Thereby the formal NDA Government had to become NDA Government. The alliance partners who had no say during the last ten years, now there is some possibility of their voice being heard. This may reduce the dominance of BJP’s Hindu Nationalist agenda. To cap it all, the increased strength of the INDIA coalition and increasing popular support for Rahul Gandhi led to the opposition becoming more assertive and forceful.

In these elections it seems probable that RSS had not come forward to aid its political progeny; the BJP. That does not mean RSS wanted BJP to be defeated, it was just aimed to subtly reprimand the rising ‘Non biological’ syndrome, to deflate his rising dominance. Still RSS is in the driving seat or is the back seat driver in the real sense. Already RSS leaders are having long meetings with BJP leaders to analyze results of elections and to chart out future strategy.

In UP the RSS delegation was led by Sah Sarkaryavah (joint general secretary) Arun Kumar, who has been pioneering the coordination between the two organizations, Live Hindustan reported. RSS’s Ram Madhav has taken charge of Jammu and Kashmir elections.

At a deeper level the understanding of RSS is that the major reason for BJP’s decline in this election has been due to the shifting of dalit vote towards INDIA coalition. To tackle this VHP is being activated; which will be having a series of meetings in dalit bastis, to co-dine with them and to organize religious programs to lure them. The VHP saints and Sadhus will be undertaking this. The Hindu reports, “These religious leaders will undertake padyatra [foot march] in the designated areas, organize satsangs, Dharm Sansads [spiritual gatherings], visit homes of people hailing from the communities, and eat at their houses. This program will be undertaken in the 9000 sub division of VHP.”

In a way it also reminds us of the Ram Temple movement, where VHP played the foundational role and then BJP took over. RSS not only trains the drivers (Pracharaks, Swayamsevaks) but is doing the back seat driving also. The 2024 parliament election results have shaken it and it is planning to go full steam to win back the shifting vote bank. The response of RSS to these election results yet again shows that its claim of being a cultural organization is a mere façade. It is another matter that now their political strength may have to go in the reverse direction for multiple reasons. Ram Temple movement was made strong to counter Mandal. With ten years of Modi rule and major unfolding of HIndutva agenda, the realization is reaching far and wide that this organization which stands for ‘Manu Smirti’ and ‘Hate Muslim’ politics, cannot stand for social justice in any way.

It has taken so long for the opposition parties to see the reality of politics of Hindu Rashtra. It practically took ten years of dictatorial rule and partisan agenda of Modi-BJP that now the opposition parties are taking the baby steps to counter the politics of RSS. RSS as such had a long journey from its blunt formulations praising Nazis, and fascists as articulated in its second Sarsangh Chalak M.S. Golwalkar’s “We or our Nationhood defined”, to opposing the tricolor, to opposing the Constitution to more subtle language at present. Also its prestige in people’s eyes had nosedived after the murder of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse.

By a quirk of fate, Jaya Prakash Narayan’s ‘Total revolution’ came to give credibility to RSS. J P was a giant of a freedom fighter, still he could not see the true nature of RSS, when he said ‘if RSS is Fascist I am a fascist’. Just prior to this Nehru had grasped the true nature of RSS. In his letter to the heads of provincial governments in December 1947, Nehru wrote that “we have a great deal of evidence to show that RSS is an organization which is in the nature of a private army and which is definitely proceeding on the strictest Nazi lines, even following the techniques of the organization”. This understanding of his was not taken seriously by the later governments, and in addition the RSS trained pracharaks had started infiltrating in different crucial aspects of social and political life of the country.

The period of two terms of BJP rule has totally disillusioned a large section of people and many parties. They have realized that what Nehru was saying has more than a grain of truth in it. To cap it all, most of the civil society groups who had been aloof from the electoral processes so far have woken up. These groups do see the fact that the rule of BJP-RSS has already done so much damage to our society that irrespective of the weaknesses of the INDIA coalition, a situation has to be created where the goals of INDIA coalition of democracy and pluralism have to be strengthened. Starting from the Karnataka initiative of Eddulu Karnataka and then Bharat Jodo Abhiyan; many civil society initiatives are aligning together, irrespective of their difference on other issues, to ensure that democracy survives and pluralism thrives.

This realization is not just at the political level. The observation as to how scientific temper is being undermined and blind faith being promoted is there for all to see. The blind glorification of the past, the first plastic surgeon-ancient India, Gold in Cow urine or promoting beating of thalis to drive away corona have shattered the core of rational thinking. IIT’s; the peak of our academic attainment; are taking up projects to prove the usefulness of Panchgavya (mixture of cow dung, urine, milk, ghee and curd).

 The RSS trained pracharaks are there in media, social media and have infiltrated the very body of our national life with an understanding which glorifies retrograde values. The rot is very deep and electoral defeat of BJP is a mere first step which has to be followed by building a social common sense rooted in the values of our freedom movement. Be it the history or science or legal system, a rot brought in by communal ideology has to be combated against.

https://thewire.in/politics/decoding-the-rss-playbook-new-strategies-tactics-post-2024-lok-sabha-polls

Ram Puniyani

Currently as the rightwing wing ideology is gaining ground many a films have already come to promote divisiveness, to glorify the icons of communal nationalism or to demonize the particular communities. In recent times we have seen films on these lines, be it Padmavat, or one on Prithviraj Chauhan, ‘Gandhi Virudh Godse’, ‘Kashmir files’ and ‘Kerala story’. Many of these in the name of artistic freedom are total propaganda films and some of them are very vulgar too. Film makers are rushing to this genre of films as some of them are ideologically oriented in the rightwing ideology, while others are assured of good moolah as those who matter in current political dispensation are out to promote these films for their political goals.

In this chain one new film’s teaser, ‘Swatantraveer Savakar’s teaser was released timed with his 140^th birth Anniversary on 28^th May when the new parliament building was also inaugurated. The 73 second teaser makes some statements and all of them are either false or manipulated to glorify Savarkar, the patron saint of Hindu nationalism. Though he was not part of RSS, it was his book ‘Hindutva or Who is a Hindu’ which formed the ideological base of RSS. As RSS did not participate in the freedom struggle, it has been constructing icons which it thinks can be ideologically close to its political agenda. Savarkar is their major choice as in the first part of his life till he was jailed in Andman’s and was anti-British revolutionary. Harping on this part of his life the Hindu nationalists glorify him to the sky.

When Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA came to power in 1998, Savarkar’s portrait was unveiled in the parliament. The debate around unveiling of his portrait also projected the second part of his life when he emerged as the ideologue of Hindu nationalism, ‘two nation theory’ and his collaboration with British rule.

During his regime Vajpayee planned to give Bharat Ratna to Savarkar, but this proposal was turned down by the then President of India, Dr. K.R. Narayanan. That notwithstanding a plaque was put up in his honor in Andmans. Now during the last nine years as Modi is ruling, Savarkar anniversary is celebrated with pomp and the latest in the series of honoring him was to inaugurate the new parliament building on his birthday.

The tease states that only few people participated in the anti British struggle and the rest were there to grab power. This is a big insult to all those revolutionaries who, unlike Savarkar rotted and died in Andman jail, to all those Indians who participated in the major anti British Movements of 1920 (Non Cooperation), the Civil disobedience (1930), Dandi March, the Quit India. It is also an insult to the likes of Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad and their colleagues who in the bravest possible fashion put their lives on their palms and stood rock solid against the British Empire. It is an insult to the efforts of Netaji’s Azad Hind Fauz.

Teaser goes on to state that had Gandhi not insisted on non violence India would have got freedom 35 years ago, i.e. in 1912! The script writer must have been in the world of unadulterated fiction to have written this. In 1912, Savarkar himself was in Andmans, Tilak, the major leader of Congress, was in Mandalay prison and Gandhi was in South Africa. That the major role in the freedom of the country was played by non-violence is stating the obvious. The revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, in later part of their movement, opined that non violent mass movement is the path for getting freedom.

Teaser claims that it was Savarkar, who was the source of inspiration for Khudiram Bose, Bhagat Singh and Netaji Bose. Lies should have their limits but not for those who are motivated ideologically especially in sectarian nationalism. Eighteen year old Khudiram Bose was martyred in 1908 an year before Savarkar’s book on 1857 came to light, while Savarakr himself was in London from 1906 to 1911. As far as Bhagat Singh is concerned he did mention Savarakr’s book on 1857 and ‘Hindu Padpadshi’ among many other books, not as a source of inspiration but for some quotes. Bhagat Singh was inspired by Gadar party’s Kartar Sarabha, whose photo he used to carry in his pocket. And also by Lenin, whose literature he devoured through and through.

Bhagat Singh was a total contrast to Savarkar. Savarkar pleaded for clemency, offering to serve the British in whatever way they thought fit. He did help strengthen their army in the context of the Second World War and was a recipient of a British pension of Rs 60 per month. Savarkar did not utter a single word when Bhagat Singh was hanged to death!

As far as Subhashchandra Bose, the rumor is spread through multiple mechanisms, that it was on Savakar’s advice that he formed Azad Hind Fauz. There is no truth in this. Savarakar actually was helping the British army when Bose’s army was fighting against the British. Bose was for composite nationalism, while Savarkar was the ideologue of religion based nationalism, two nation theory. Bose was equally critical of Savarakar and Jinnah whom he urged to close ranks and join the freedom movement, while this duo served the British designs of suppressing the national movement.

In his article in The Forward Bloc (his paper) Bose argued that ‘The Hindu Mahasabha has been doing incalculable harm to the idea of Indian nationhood by underlining the communal differences—by lumping all the Muslims together…We cannot oblige Mr Savarkar by ignoring the contributions of the nationalist Muslims to the cause of India.’

He wrote in the second part of his book, The Indian Struggle, that while Jinnah ‘was then thinking only of how to realise his plan of Pakistan (the division of India) with the help of the British,’ Savarkar seemed to be oblivious of the international situation and was only thinking how the Hindus could secure military training by entering Britain’s army in India.’

In response to the teaser of the film, Netaji’s daughter Pfaff told Times of India, “Like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji was opposed to the divisiveness based on religious differences. Let Sarvarkar’s followers join Netaji in his vision for India and not hijack him for views that certainly were not his,”

We are living in times where the Hindu right wing is being well served by many in the film World, and this forthcoming film based on falsehoods will be one more example of the same.

https://countercurrents.org/2023/06/teaser-of-film-on-savarkar-lies-galore/