Page 24 - 15OCT2018E

OPINION
DILEMMAS
HUMRA
QURAISHI
The Delhi-based writer
and columnist’s books
include Kashmir: The
Untold Story. She co- N meet to try and project
authored a series of
writings with the late
Khushwant Singh and
her short stories are
part of anthologies.
The views expressed
are her own
The sheer violence
unleashed by
the right-wing
brigades in past
four years is
getting out of
control, painting
it in horrifying
shades. Amid all
this, the RSS is
trying to woo all
24-25 Opinion Humra.indd 2 9/28/2018
IDEOLOGY
A U-turn by RSS shall
not come as a shocker
The right-wing organisation has always followed a policy of
unleashing several voices to create an atmosphere dripping with
chaos and confusion. This may be a public relations exercise for BJP
o, one wasn’t shocked by not independent of RSS. … The RSS lead-
the fact that the RSS men ership keeps on harping that BJP is an
decided to travel down independent political organisation and
from Nagpur to New Delhi does not work under the dictates of the
to hold a three-day long RSS. It is pertinent that one compares this
information with the facts available in organised in a clandestine manner, a a howl of protest. They burnt books they is tolerant.”
themselves as progressive liberals! the official publications of the RSS. characteristic of a Fascist set-up.” did not like, they beat up journalists who And if one were to read Professor
Why this U-turn came as no shocker The central publication house of the It would be also significant to point wrote against them, they openly butch- Jyotirmaya Sharma’s book Terrifying
because of the simple fact that the RSS RSS, the Suruchi Prakashan, has pub- out that around 2010, Khushwant Singh ered people for believing in a different Vision — MS Golwalkar, The RSS and India
has always followed a policy of unleash- lished a book, Param Vaibhav Ke Path Par had commented, “All along the motivat- God. (Penguin), then several more ‘terrifying’
ing several voices in our midst, to create (The Road to Glory) in 1997 giving details ing factor for the Hindutva parties has “The carnage in Gujarat, the Mahat- facts to the RSS emerge.
an atmosphere dripping with chaos and of more than 40 organisations created been Islamophobia. The entire motivat- ma’s home state, in early 2002 and the To quote from Sharma’s book The Ram
confusion. by the RSS for different tasks. The BJP as a ing factor behind the RSS is anti-Muslim. subsequent landslide victory for Naren- Janambhoomi Movement, “the demolition
Perhaps, by undertaking this latest political organisation figures prominent- In fact, today when Mohan Bhagwat dra Modi spelt disaster for our country. of the Babri Masjid and the Gujarat riots
exercise the RSS decided to indulge in ly in it, clubbed with the ABVP, Hindu says that the RSS is open to other com- The fascist agenda of Hindu fanatics is of 2002 are just a few examples of the
a public relations exercise for the BJP. Jagran Manch, Vishva Hindu Parishad, munities and has Muslim and Christian unlike anything India has experienced impact Golwalkar’s legacy has had on the
After all, the sheer violence unleashed by Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Sanskar members too, it’s to be taken with a in its modern history. For the last several move towards a certain brand of radical
the right-wing brigades in the last four Bharti. … In this book the BJP figures at pinch of salt because the whole thrust years I have been seeing signs of fascism Hindu nationalism. In Golwalkar’s men-
years is getting out of control, painting number three in the list of prominent or- behind the RSS Hindutva parties has creeping in. Private senas are used to un- tal universe , there were two permanent
the right-wing in horrifying shades. Of ganisations created by the RSS. This book been anti-Muslims. In fact, lately I have leash terror on minority segments and enemies, the Muslims and politics .These
course, they couldn’t have bothered if discusses the creation and development been introspecting on the very word / most Indians do not seem to realise the two are the greatest impediments in the
news reports in foreign media were not of the BJP under the aegis of the RSS in term — Hindutva — which brings along magnitude of this dangerous trend, the way of the Hindu Rashtra regaining its
detailing lynching and other communal full three pages.” that distinct concept of rabid commu- very magnitude of intolerance though power and glory.”
attacks against the minority communi- In fact, Shamshul Islam further details, nalism, and so why not drop the H to signs are writ large. To quote these lines of Golwalkar
ties in the country. “There has always been a conscious it — Indutva. … Yes, Indutva is the word! “MF Husain had to live in exile, his from Sharma’s book, “Within the coun-
With that, Modi government’s image attempt to create confusion about its As Indutva stands for Indian-ness and it paintings were burnt, girls molested in try, there are so many Muslim pockets ,
dented in those far-away lands, where different fronts which provide RSS with could carry much more appeal and has Mangalore pubs, killings in Kandhahar, i.e , so many ‘miniature Pakistanis’ …such
all that propaganda in circulation — of
he loves to travel, armed with fairy-tale
the opportunity to dissociate with any of
softer touch to it.”
‘pockets’ have verily become centres
speeches! Not really realising that in this these as per its convenience. For instance Khushwant had also brought into Christians converting (though the reality of a widespread network of pro — Paki-
day and age, camouflages are easy to rip it used Hindu Jagaran Manch (HJM) for focus another fact. “Don’t overlook the is that the Christian population in the stani elements in this land . …The conclu-
fact that before Jinnah had come up with country has actually gone down), the
attacking Christians in the late 1990s
off, masks are not difficult to be pulled
sion is that , in practically every place
away. Not to overlook the realities back and when public opinion, media, and the two-nation theory, it was Gangadhar Sangh keeps whipping those old preju- there are Muslims who are in constant
home, where large sections have begun Parliament seemed to turn against it, RSS Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, VD Savarkar, who dices against the Muslims. touch with Pakistan over the transmitter
“Hindutva theory does not believe
had come up with the Hindu nation
…Right from Delhi to Rampur to Luc-
denied any relation with HJM. … When
to realise that the government is indulg-
ing in that typical divide and rule strate- nefarious designs of the Vishwa Hindu theory. In fact, Lala Lajpat Rai had even in treating all nationals as one, on the know, the Muslims are busy hatching a
gies to grasp power just about somehow. Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Dharam Sansad drawn a map of divided India — along same footing. There’s that discrimination dangerous plot, piling up arms and mo-
against the Muslims and Christians, cul-
religious lines. Whatever the RSS had
With these build-ups, the RSS had
were exposed before the nation, RSS
bilizing their men and probably biding
to step in, to help out the BJP rulers of announced that they were independent been trying ever since the country’s minating in the very destruction of the their time to strike from within when
the day. After all, the two are linked and organisations. Interestingly, it was often Independence they seemed to get now! Babri masjid, the massacre of Muslims Pakistan decides upon a armed conflict
with our country.” So, this is the reality to
in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, the murder
inter-linked. To quote from academic
seen mediating between the BJP-led
“Fascism well and truly crossed
Shamshul Islam’s book Know The RSS government (1998-2004) and these our threshold and dug its heels in our of Christian missionaries and burning the RSS!
fronts. … It will be interesting to know that
of the Bible. All these destructive events
courtyard. We let the fanatics get away
— Based on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh’s Documents (Pharos Media)-“BJP many of these organisations have been with every step they took without raising destroying the notion that Hinduism LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
TEHELKA / 15 OCTOBER 2018 24 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 15 OCTOBER 2018 25 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
5:24:14 PM 24-25 Opinion Humra.indd 3 9/28/2018 5:24:23 PM