People's Democracy

EDITORIAL

 A Weakened BJP = A Strengthened India

  THE Bharatiya Janata Party, at its recently concluded national executive committee meeting, virtually launched its election campaign for the forthcoming elections in four states later this year and the general elections next year.  True to its character, full of sound and fury, the campaign appears all bluster with little substance.

  Painting a glowing picture of the Vajpayee government's "achievements", the meeting celebrated Vajpayee's survival in office for the last five years! It, of course, chose not to mention the fact that he had lost the vote of confidence once and occupied the post in a caretaker capacity for an unprecedently long time, thanks to the Kargil conflict!

  On every other substantive issue facing the country, the so-called "achievements", not surprisingly spoke very little. There was no reference to the dismal economic situation of the country and the consequent mounting sufferings of the people.  Almost admitting this reality, the prime minister warned the party that speeches and manifestoes are not the ideal recipe for electoral successes.  What counted in the end was the people's perception of government performance. 

  Recognising that on this count the disenchantment amongst the people is near complete, the BJP national executive endorsed the hardcore communal agenda as its only plank to sustain its electoral support.  In other words, the BJP has committedly declared that it shall engage itself in vote bank politics (a charge it levels against all other parties) by polarizing the society on communal lines.

  This will only strengthen the process of raking up issues which have the potential for communal polarisation -- Ayodhya, cow protection, abolition of Article 370, uniform civil code and every other conceivable issue like the Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh.

  Such a disastrous recipe is to be accompanied by a communal ideological offensive. The glorification of Savarkar and Hegdewar is a case in point.  The over-energetic Information and Broadcasting minister declared that the government's publications division will now bring out a series of publication glorifying these "heroes"!  The whole country is aware of the fact that the RSS and all its frontal organisations not only did not take part in the freedom struggle, but objectively helped the British prolong its rule. Savarkar's immense disservice to the country has been repeatedly exposed in these columns. The effort is to create new icons that will buttress the communal agenda which seeks eventually the fascistic transformation of the modern Indian republic. This is a process that seeks to transform the secular democratic character of the Indian republic into a fascistic "Hindu Rashtra".

  Naturally, for such an agenda to unfold, the BJP may well jettison its allies in the NDA. Already the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the BJP president and other senior leaders have declared, in no uncertain terms, that they would rather go it alone without the encumbrances of allies.  Such is the pathetic state of the allies that they can neither exercise any restraint on the BJP nor can they adhere to any principle.  That is, if they have anything left except clinging on to power to share the spoils of office!  The NDA, during these five years, has been truly reduced to be the national disaster alliance.

  The launch of this new offensive against the country and the people is being couched under the slogan "shaktisali Bharat, shaktisali bhajpa" (powerful India, powerful BJP).  Clearly, given its track record in office and the agenda that it now seeks to unfold, the more powerful, the BJP becomes the more weaker is the Indian republic. A powerful India that celebrates its diversity and cherishes its plurality can strengthen itself only by weakening the ideology and the practice of the BJP.  For the sake of India, i.e., Bharat, for the sake of transforming it into a powerful country, it is, therefore, of utmost necessity to defeat the RSS/BJP politics both ideologically and electorally.