People's Democracy

EDITORIAL

AYODHYA CARD AGAIN

THE BJP has once again confirmed, if ever a reconfirmation were necessary, that its political fortunes are irreversibly linked to its hardcore communal agenda. Fascistic communalism is the RSS/BJP's political umbilical cord.  Its national executive at Raipur has declared that apart from Ayodhya, scrapping of article 370 and the uniform civil code, the BJP will aggressively campaign on issues like banning of cow slaughter, infiltration (read harassment of minorities) etc. In addition, it has also indicated that Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin would be a major issue in the forthcoming elections. 

Clearly, the BJP appears to be preparing for an early general election. It has issued a call to its organisation to campaign in every village and in every home on these issues. After its Palampur resolution in 1989 asking for a central legislation to facilitate the building of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, it has now, once again, reiterated the same, realising that neither the court verdict nor any negotiated settlement would be in its favour. The BJP is preparing to aggressively mount communal polarisation on this demand for a central legislation. Its plea that it is not in a position to enact such a legislation because of being part of the NDA is only a cover that does not successfully hide the real message. Its message to the people in the forthcoming elections is that if they want a temple at Ayodhya and since that would be possible only through a legislation, then it will be necessary to give the BJP a clear majority on its own. 

The Palampur resolution of 1989, and Advani's `rath yatra' that left behind a trail of bloodshed and mayhem, eventually led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The "road map" to reconstruct a similar situation that would wreak havoc for our country's unity and integrity has been drawn up, once again.   Ironically, this is being done when, investigating the criminal conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid, the CBI, functioning under the all-power prime minister’s office (PMO), has decided to drop the charges against Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and others. Such a brazen misuse of office to serve their interests and, thus, deny justice in one of the most criminal of acts in independent India, is unprecedented. For years, the CPI(M) had been demanding that, as the prime accused,  L K  Advani should not be  permitted to head the home ministry. This gross misuse is scandalous, to say the least.  It is clear that if justice were ever to be delivered in this case, then it is necessary to keep the BJP and the RSS communal octopus away from office. 

The resurrection of the demand to scrap article 370 is bound to complicate matters in Jammu & Kashmir. After a successful election and the formation of a new government, hopes for the restoration of peace and normalcy have naturally risen. The people, by and large, want peace. Any effort to address the feeling of alienation of the Kashmiri people must naturally begin with the question of discussing the status of the promises concerning autonomy, made to them at the time of independence and Jammu & Kashmir's accession to India. 

This, in turn, will have to begin with discussing the implementation of the provisions of article 370 as far as Jammu & Kashmir is concerned. With the demand for its scrapping, the BJP is clearly sending the signal that it is not in favour of initiating the all important political process in the state involving the people for the restoration of normalcy. Clearly, the greater the tensions in the state, the greater is the consequent spill over in the rest of the country which will be exploited for minority bashing, so essential for the RSS/BJP to consolidate its Hindu vote bank. In the process, the RSS/BJP cares two hoots for the country's unity and integrity.

Minority bashing was all too evident in the concluding speech made at the meeting by the deputy prime minister detailing the measures undertaken by this government against the Pakistani-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir. The deputy prime minister described cross-border support of terrorism as a proxy war launched by Pakistan since 1979. 

This comes at a time when the prime minister had launched a peace initiative to normalise relations with Pakistan. Clearly, the RSS/BJP is sticking to its position that no talks with Pakistan are possible till cross-border terrorism stops. There is a grave danger in this approach. If Pakistan denies any such support and claims to have stopped all activities of cross-border terrorism, as it repeatedly does, then in the name of verification of counter-claims, third party intervention could well be suggested. 

Given the proclivity of this Vajpayee government to succumb to US imperialism, even without any pressures, this would formalise a US-led intervention in the Kashmir dispute. This runs against the very grain of the approach taken by India for over three decades now --- that the Kashmir dispute is a bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan and no third party intervention is warranted. 

By re-emphasising its communal agenda, the RSS/BJP is clearly admitting that it would be unable to muster any support from the people on any other issue except by whipping up passions and emotions. All the issues that it has listed have little to do with the country's progress and development, they have much less to do with people's livelihood and security. Having come into office promising to eradicate bhook (hunger), bhay (fear) and bhrashtachar (corruption), this Vajpayee government has alarmingly worsened the situation on all these three scores. 

The agrarian distress in the country, as we discussed in these columns earlier, is so acute that the per capita availability of foodgrains this year is lower than what it was during the period of the second world war. The unemployment situation has worsened alarmingly. The unabated loot of the public resources is being intensified. Corruption and misgovernance under Vajpayee's stewardship has no parallel in independent India. 

Given this, it is only natural that on the basis of performance and policies, this government would get a drubbing at the hands of the people in the forthcoming elections.

It is precisely to pre-empt such an eventuality that an aggressive communal agenda is being resorted to. Apart from advancing the RSS/BJP's objective to transform the secular democratic Indian republic into a fascistic "Hindu Rashtra," such rousing of communal passions, they hope, will reap electoral benefits. Winning elections by spilling the blood of innocent people is the methodology of the RSS octopus, which it had perfected in Gujarat.

The BJP seems to be forgetting that one can fool some people all the time, all people for some time, but one cannot fool all the people all the time.  These "merchants of death" must be shown their place, if India, as we know of it today, has to be saved.