EDITORIAL 

FASCIST BRAZENNESS

 WITH fascist brazenness, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has declared to celebrate (sic!) the 10th anniversary of the wanton demolition of Babri Masjid as ‘vijay divas’ (‘victory day’) all over the country. The destruction of the Babri Masjid, and with that the serious challenge posed to the secular, democratic, republican character of India, is to be vicariously celebrated as the “glory” of the Hindus! 

If ever an admission were needed, it has come once again that the saffron brigade holds the modern Indian nation and its republican constitution in utter contempt. They have once again reiterated their perennial quest to convert this modern nation into a rabidly intolerant, communal fascist “Hindu Rashtra.” Through these columns, we have repeatedly exposed the real meaning of such a concept --- as being nothing else but a contemptible fascistic order which is an anachronism for modern civilisation.

The RSS and its saffron brigade never tire of accusing all modern elements, particularly the communists and the secularists, of having borrowed western concepts. Never mind that they are today wielding control over state power in a system of parliamentary democracy whose entire concept was borrowed from the west. Further, if there was any ideology that was, in the 20th century, defeated by a people’s upsurge, it was fascism. But it is precisely this ideology of fascism that the RSS has appropriated for itself in India.   Golwalkar’s hero was Hitler while Moonje’s hero was Mussolini. Moonje played an important role in the formation of the RSS in 1925. And Golwalkar gave the RSS both its ideological construct and the organisational linkages to achieve its objective of a “Hindu Rashtra.” Also, this objective was based on an adulation of Hitler’s slogan of the supremacy of Aryan race and his brutal fascistic methods of establishing the Nazi state. 

Humanity paid a heavy price to defeat this menace. The decisive force that liberated humanity from fascism has been the Soviet Red Army and the communist underground resistance in many of the occupied countries. In India too, the people are already paying the price for the saffron brigade’s march towards fascism. However, as the experience of the 20th century shows, these forces are destined to suffer a rout. The tragedy, however, is that, before this fascist monster dies, it will have caused an immense loss of innocent life and destruction of property. 

It is by now clear that the occasional tears of remorse, that are shed by some of the saffron leaders including the prime minister and the deputy prime minister, are only acts of hypocrisy --- that too, at their worst. While the former claims to have composed poetry when the Babri Masjid was being demolished by his cronies, the latter wrote obfuscating articles, with words like ‘regret’ thrown in, to mislead certain sections of the people.

The BJP can no longer convince anybody that its actions are independent from those of the VHP or Bajrang Dal. The saffron brigade is like an octopus with numerous tentacles. Maybe these tentacles appear to be operating independently, but they are guided by the same brain and by a single heart that pumps blood to propel their movements. The RSS is that very nerve-centre in case of the saffron brigade.

This decision to observe the 10th anniversary of the destruction of Babri Masjid is patently an attempt by the saffron brigade to rouse communal passions further in the run-up to the Gujarat elections to be held on December 12. It was precisely for this reason that the VHP announced to take out a yatra; it is another matter that the Election Commission put its foot firmly down and compelled the state government to ban this yatra. For the saffron brigade, winning the elections in Gujarat is essential in its march to usher into a fascistic “Hindu Rashtra.” On the basis of such a victory, it would, as stated earlier in these columns, seek to replicate the Gujarat state-sponsored genocide in other parts of the country and reap electoral benefits from the incendiary communal fires that would kill and maim thousands of people. This is what we had called the Modification of India.

On the contrary, losing the elections in Gujarat would at once apply the breaks to halt the march of this communal juggernaut. For the saffron brigade, therefore, the Gujarat elections are a do-or-die affair. 

For precisely this reason, a defeat of the communal forces in Gujarat will mark the Indian people’s reassertion that they uphold the secular, democratic character of the republic. To that extent, it becomes important to counter the saffron brigade’s ‘victory celebrations’ on the Babri demolition anniversary this year. This necessitates observing December 6 this year as a day of Indian people’s resolve to uphold our country’s secular, democratic and republican character and to defeat the fascist designs. 

As the Left, secular and democratic forces rise to the occasion to observe this day throughout the country, we in People's Democracy have decided to contribute our mite by bringing out a special issue dedicated to the task of safeguarding our country and repulsing this fascist challenge.

Our appeal to all patriotic Indians is to rise to the occasion to save India today, so that we can build a better India tomorrow.