Victory Of Secularism
By Asghar Ali
Engineer
01 June, 2004
Centre for Study of Society and
Secularism
Crushing
defeat of NDA led by the BJP in the recent general elections is certainly
victory of secular forces. The BJP-led NDA had won in 1999 not so much
as for its ability to deliver and provide better governance but because
the BJP understood the significance of coalition politics and the Congress
did not. When the Congress realised the importance of coalition it entered
into electoral arrangement with different secular parties in different
regions and inflicted crushing defeat on NDA. The NDA defeat was so
massive that its leaders were totally stunned by it.
One can say that
this was liberation of the country from communal forces who had bared
their fascist fangs in Gujarat in 2002. It would be wrong to say that
only Narendra Modi was guilty of the Gujarat carnage of 2002; the BJP-led
NDA at the Centre was equally responsible for it. Despite hue and cry
from all over the country the central leadership of the BJP and NDA
not only kept quiet but extended full support to Narendra Modi in his
fascist-like pogrom of Muslims in Gujarat. Mr. Fernandese even said
in Parliament debate on women being raped and their wombs split that
there is nothing new in this and that it has happened in this country
for years.
The TDP leaders
may not have lent active support like Mr. Fernandese but kept silent
and never insisted on removal of Narendra Modi. Mr. Chandrababu Naidu
allegedly settled for few hundred crores for his state and continued
to support the NDA Government despite blood bath in Gujarat. His conscience
was also not shaken. He also paid heavily and was swept out of power
in Andhra Pradesh as Muslims refused to vote for him. Though this was
not the only reason, it was one of the important factors for his being
voted out.
The BJP leaders
of course less said the better. They supported Narendra Modi to the
hilt. When the BJP won Gujarat elections after the carnage with two-third
majority all BJP leaders not only praised Narendra Modi but maintained
that we would repeat the Gujarat model throughout the country i.e. that
we would like to win elections in other states by organising blood bath
of innocent members of minorities. What a shame? These were public statements
made in full glare of T.V. cameras. Even Mr. Vajpayee when asked whether
BJP would repeat the Gujarat Model averred "Will you repeat Godhra?"
rather than firmly discounting such possibility. "Can then Mr.Vajpayee
be described as statesman?" Will a statesman ever lend moral and
political support to such carnage? He would rather resign than lead
such a party which thrives on blood bath of innocents.
There is no doubt
that BJP is a Hindu nationalist party and is firmly aligned to the RSS
ideology. Mr. Vajpayee himself said at Straiten Island in USA among
his VHP supporters that he has RSS soul. Who does not know that in 1978
also the Bharatiya Jan Sangh preferred to resign from the Janata Party
rather than severe its relations with the RSS when Raj Narain, Madhu
Limaye and George Fernandese raised dual membership controversy. Thus
its loyalty to the RSS is unquestionable and its commitment to what
Vajpayee used to call ?coalition dharma? was very superficial. It is
nothing but a political arm of RSS.
One must not forget
that in these five years it never tired of implementing the RSS agenda.
In this respect its so-called ?coalition dharma? never came in its way.
And its coalition partners who styled themselves as secular also became
party in implementing this RSS agenda. The whole education system was
communalised. That is the first priority of all communal and fascist
forces to control education. Mr. Murli Manohar Joshi was a hard core
RSS man and he was put at the helm of Human Resources Ministry. He successfully
implemented RSS agenda by communalising our education system. The RSS
schools teach textbooks openly preaching hatred against minorities,
especially in Sishu Vihars. Thousands of students study in these schools.
The premier social
and historical research organisations like the Indian Social Science
Research Organisation and Indian Historical Research Organisation were
handed over to hardcore RSS and VHP persons. All this will have to be
wrested back from their control. It was a systematic conspiracy. Similarly
key personnel were appointed from RSS supporters in premier educational
research body like the NCERT which prepares text books which form the
minds of lakhs of students every year. Mr. Joshi got these textbooks
changed in keeping with his RSS commitment. Many eminent historians
protested but to no avail. The damage was done and Mr.Joshi was to prepared
to undo his RSS agenda. It was to implement this agenda that he was
given this ministry.
Now the new coalition
government led by the Congress and supported by the left (or may be
the Left also joins the Government) will take over and it should be
its top priority to undo the damage done to the education system. As
pointed out before education system plays very crucial role in shaping
the minds of its future citizens particularly in a multi-religious,
multilingual and multi-cultural country like India who, of necessity,
should have a secular polity to build a integrated healthy nation. The
RSS tried to lay the foundation of Hindu Rashtra dividing and polarising
the country on religious lines.
The Secular coalition
will have to give top priority to this agenda of secular education and
an education system, which would inculcate equal respect for all religions
and eliminate the traces of hatred from our text -books. The earlier
Congress Governments also never sowed firm commitment to promote secular
education. The history text books in particular, have never been seriously
overhauled. It was because of this that it became very easy for the
BJP to consolidate its position on issue like Babri Masjid-Ramjanambhoomi
controversy. Those who had read these text-books during fifties and
sixties grew up to be full citizens of this country and uncritically
swallowed the Sangh Parivar propaganda about Ramjanambhoomi and captured
power easily.
The secularity of
the country is most essential ideological asset of our nation. The Sangh
Parivar has seriously damaged it already and all Efforts should be made
to restore its secular character. The Human Resource ministry should
be headed by someone strongly committed to secularism and his/her priority
should be to restore secular character of our education and necessary
changes in history text-books. Nothing can be of greater importance
than this. Also, ICSSR and ICHR should be liberated from the clutches
of communal forces. These are premiere social and historical research
organisations.
It should also be
remembered that the BJP would like to revert to its original communal
agenda. In order to win secular and minority votes it was trying to
project itself as non-communal organisation. In the last days of campaigning
the BJP also tried to convince the Muslims that it is not against them
and Mr. Vajpayee even promised Muslims in Kishanganj, Bihar that if
elected to power again NDA Government would like to appoint 2 crore
(perhaps it was slip of tongue and meant two lakhs) Urdu teachers. But
Muslims refused to be persuaded as how could they forget Gujarat after
all and vote for a party that idolised Narendra Modi as Hindutva hero.
The Muslims voted
very cleverly to defeat BJP candidates all over India and particularly
in U.P. where BJP had maximum stake. Therefore, there is every chance
that the BJP might go back to its communal agenda to win back a section
of upper caste Hindu votes and since it is already being reprimanded
by its ideological masters like the RSS and VHP that it lost because
it diluted the Hindutva agenda. Thus the new secular government will
have to be very cautious in its approach towards communal problem.
The Home Ministry
also has been stuffed with those closed to the RSS ideology in various
positions. Mr. Advani too is known to be RSS man and it is not imaginable
that he would defy it in placing people in key positions. Also, there
is great need to strengthen the intelligence machinery. Intelligence
failure is very common phenomenon in any major communal violence. Also,
communalisation of police particularly during last twenty five years
of communal hype by the Sangh Parivar, is something to be taken very
seriously. I have conducted more than 150 police workshops and have
seen raw prejudices among the police personnel. It is highly necessary
to have re-orientation courses for the police.
These things should
not be taken lightly. All our developmental efforts will succeed only
if there is peace and harmony in the country. And for this the secular
government should do everything possible to restore secular values and
confidence of the minorities. It would also raise the status of India
in the comity of nations. Gujarat has considerably damaged it. Muslims
and Christians have greatly suffered under the BJP-led NDA rule.
The Congress should
also reflect seriously on its past mistakes. It often allowed free play
to communal forces. Now it should not repeat those mistakes. Since the
Left will be supporting or joining the government it is hoped that it
would continue to put pressure on the Congress to contain communal forces
with great determination. It is not easy to cleanse the whole system
but it is highly necessary to restore sanity and integrity.
The minorities should
also have full faith in the Indian democratic system. It was free and
fair elections, which could bring about complete change in the situation.
Many Muslims had despaired that no change is possible. Some even joined
BJP out of this desperation. All of them have been belied. Indian democracy
has great resilience. Long live Indian democracy. And the masses also
defy all caste and communal barriers on such crucial junctions and vote
to restore social and national health.