“If political parties start considering their ideology more important than the country, then freedom will surely be in danger”, said Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in his last address to the Constituent Assembly. Today, on the occasion of 45 years of the establishment of BJP, I am repeatedly reminded of this sentence of Babasaheb. Because after India’s independence, the Muslim League survived in only a few places in India after partition.
The then RSS chief Mr. M.S. Golwalkar felt the need to have a separate party on the lines of Muslim League, the political unit of Hindus. On 21 October 1951, Hindu Mahasabha was tainted with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, so a party named Jansangh was started under the leadership of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee of West Bengal. Which merged with Janata Party in 1977 within 26 years. But within two years, on the issue of dual membership (being a member of Janata Party and RSS at the same time), it separated from Janata Party and was re-established on 7 April 1980 under the name Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu League i.e. Bharatiya Janata Party was formed on the exact lines of Muslim League.
Because the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has always claimed that it is a purely educational and cultural organization. It has no connection with politics. How true is this?
The split of the Janata Party is a proof of what? That is why in 1977, Jayaprakash Narayan took the initiative to unite various parties like the Socialist Party, the Organisation Congress and the Jan Sangh, Jagjivan Ram’s and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna’s party, to win the election against the then Congress. This is why he did a circus in Indian parliamentary politics by forming a single party of various parties.
I have opposed the formation of this party. Because Jansangh is the second edition of Hindu Mahasabha. And the process of polarizing Hindu communities and building the Hindu nation of Savarkar-Golwalkar’s dreams and making all the people of minority communities second class citizens was started in the name of Hindu Mahasabha, but after Gandhi’s assassination, it was given a different name and then in the name of Jansangh and for the last 45 years it was being done in the name of BJP. Despite the ideological differences between the socialists, Gandhians and the party of undeclared Hindu nation and free economy, capitalism and kings, maharajas, landlords and upper castes, the immediate electoral alliance with Jansangh is fine. But the idea of forming a party did not seem right to me. And I had put this point in front of Shri. S.M. Joshi ji before the formation of Janata Party. During the emergency, I had told Shri. S.M. Joshi that till all the opposition parties do not form a single party to win the elections against Congress, Shri. Jayaprakash Narayan will not participate in the election campaign. For this reason, Shri.S. M. talked to me in the course of communicating with everyone. And I had clearly said that the Samajwadi Party cannot even imagine joining hands with a party like Jan Sangh which is a Hindutvaist and a supporter of free economy, capitalism and is a party of kings, maharajas, landlords and upper castes.
And this experiment will be a suicidal experiment for the Samajwadi Party. And it is surprising that before meeting me, SM had come from Tihar Jail after meeting George Fernandes. Because at that time George Fernandes was the national president of the Socialist Party. And SM said that George Fernandes also has the same opinion as you. I must have been 23 years old at that time. So I said that if George Fernandes, the national president, also has the same opinion as me, then I feel very good that I am right. After that, what has been the last stage of George’s life? Everyone knows this.
But despite all this, the Janata Party was established. And when it broke down in front of Jayaprakash’s eyes two years ago, he said, “My garden has been destroyed.” Although it was not a garden, it was just a bouquet that had to be destroyed one day.
And the people of the old Jansangh founded the Bharatiya Janata Party on 7 April 1980. Today, 45 years of its founding are being completed. And within five years of its founding (1985), Lal Krishna Advani, under the guise of the Shah Bano controversy, fuelled the Babri Masjid Ram Janmabhoomi controversy, did the politics of Rath Yatras, brought the entire politics of BJP from its inception till now to the question of faith with the incident of demolition of Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992. And with the slogan of ‘Mandir Wahi Banayenge’, brought the entire politics of BJP from its inception till now to the question of faith. Then the current Prime Minister’s Chief Minister Kalka set an example of making his political career by using the first government machinery after India’s independence and starting the Gujarat riots against the people of the minority community on 28 February 2002. But according to the last address of Doctor Baba Saheb in the Constituent Assembly, it is about playing with our freedom by imposing the agenda of his party on the country. It would be appropriate to call him anti-national. But it is ironic that in the history of India, by doing the politics of riots, he got himself placed on the highest post of the country. According to Dr. Baba Saheb, it is a matter of endangering the independence, unity and integrity of the country. What patriotic work are you doing by making the people of the minority community, which is one fourth of the population, in an insecure mindset? Then what patriotic work are you doing by talking about cow, love-jihad, hijab, citizenship law and 370 and religious interference by bringing the latest Waqf bill and making all the people of the minority community of India second class citizens?
And they succeeded in marginalizing the issues related to the day to day life of the country. And they brought the entire politics to a standstill on the question of faith only. In Dr. Baba Saheb’s last address to the Constituent Assembly, he had said that “If political parties try to impose their party’s views instead of the country’s, then the country’s independence will definitely be in danger.”
Ever since the BJP came to power, from demonetisation to abolition of Article 370 of Kashmir, to the so-called Citizenship Amendment Act, decisions to change agriculture and labour laws and bringing laws like love jihad, cow slaughter ban and Waqf Bill, they are trying to take a multi-religious country like India towards a Hindu Rashtra.
Judiciary, Media, Executive including IB, CBI, ED, NIA and deployment of Police or Paramilitary and Army at various places to fight against foreign enemies. But all these arrangements are in place to stop the paramilitary forces which are one fourth of the population of India, mainly the tribals and Dalits and poor people of India from fighting for their rights.
And by starting the process of selling government industries and the country’s water, forests and land, as per the last address of Dr. Baba Saheb in the Constituent Assembly, “it is a matter of playing with the unity and integrity of our country by imposing the agenda of one’s own party on the country.”
And call it BJP’s shamelessness or cruelty, but its leaders claim that they are doing everything in the interest of the country. And those who oppose it are traitors. And how many people have been put in jails using the sedition law in just ten years?
What kind of patriotism does it take to hand over natural resources like health, education, food security and water to private masters? What kind of patriotism does it take to give important departments like railways, banks, insurance and defence for private and foreign investment?
And the most surprising thing is that after coming to power, BJP is continuously doing such contradictory work of calling those who speak, write and some who take to the streets to protest against these wrong policies as anti-national. And that too in the name of patriotism.
Meaning, in India with a population of 135 crore, BJP started considering itself the master of India despite its party barely getting 40% of the votes, although after sitting on the throne of Delhi, the Prime Minister himself started saying that “I am not the Prime Minister but the Prime Servant.” But looking at your expressions, frown and gestures, it seems that your statement that you are not the Prime Minister but the Prime Servant is nothing but a mere statement.
Today, on the occasion of the party’s 45th anniversary, Narendra Modi said that “some people think of us as mere election machines.” Although it is not known who thinks so, but in the Indian elections, he is the only Prime Minister seen from the streets to Delhi who leaves all his work and joins the election fray in such a way. I cannot remember any other Prime Minister like him. Therefore, if someone is calling us election machines, then he is not saying anything wrong. “A straw in the beard of a thief”
Dr Suresh Khairnar is Ex. President of Rashtra Sewa Dal
