People's Democracy

        Academics Caution Against Storm-Trooping Methods Of The RSS

A battery of historians, academics and educationists led by renowned historian, Professor Irfan Habib, cautioned the country against the conspiracy being hatched by the BJP to create conditions for fascism in the country. They further opined that the prime minister was playing into the hands of a diabolic RSS gameplan by making a sweeping remark against the Left and trying to equate the Left with the right fundamentalists.

They were addressing a press conference organised by Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) on September 6 in New Delhi.

Professor Irfan Habib said: “By making such remarks, the PM has accepted half of RSS’s case that previous textbooks were biased. What has Left fundamentalism got to do with books written by Bipan Chandra who extolled Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru? If this is the case, Gandhi and Nehru were also Left fundamentalists. Manmohan Singh has to decide or he will be left alone.”  

Professor Prabhat Patnaik noted that the CMP was not being implemented even on issues like the employment guarantee scheme, which was sought to be scaled down.

Gita Hariharan said what had happened in Gujarat was a logical conclusion of the vision of Savarakar’s India. She made it clear that it is extremely hurtful to the sentiments of people to demand that Savarkar be paid homage on behalf of the whole nation in any manner whatsoever as he remains under a cloud in the case of the assassination of the Father of our Nation. She objected to Savarkar’s portrait adorning parliament along with that of Gandhiji.

The speakers at the press conference attacked the BJP for its irresponsible boycott of parliament, their whipping up of frenzy on the issue of Uma Bharati and Savarakar and pointed out how the budget, the problems of the unemployed, of the peasants and common people could not be debated due to BJP’s stand. They also felt that the BJP has not accepted the decisive verdict of the people against them, and it was in true fascist fashion brought to a standstill the functioning of parliament.

“It has not only thus directly attacked India’s democratic structure; it has also taken the road of reviving communal hatred”, they stated.

Speakers at the press conference termed it shameful that a group of citizens exercising their democratic right to protest were prevented from doing so. (see accompanying box)  They pointed out how at the same time, the RSS-BJP’s shameful use of the National Flag for petty political reasons and for spreading communal tensions and disharmony was being facilitated by the police force. “They can gather everyday at Hubli, Karnataka, and elsewhere, but citizens concerned at this attack on Constitutional and secular democratic principles, are denied the right to even voice their rejection of this communal, fascist activity”, they stated angrily.

On this occasion, a statement signed by Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Geetha Hariharan, M K Raina, R S Sharma, Amiya Kumar Bagchi, Zoya Hussain, Arjun Dev, Teesta Setalvad, D N Jha, Jayati Ghosh, among others was released to the press.

Following is the full text of the statement:

Three and a half months ago the people of India gave a decisive verdict against the divisive and communal policies of the BJP government and put in its place the government of United Progressive Alliance, which, with the support of other secular parties, has an overwhelming majority in Parliament. However, the BJP has not accepted the popular verdict and in true fascist fashion has brought to a standstill the functioning of Parliament. It has not only thus directly attacked India’s democratic structure; it has also taken the road of reviving communal hatred. As writers, artists, educationists, historians and academic from various disciplines, we feel it our duty to warn our fellow citizens to be vigilant about the conspiracy being hatched by the BJP against our democratic institutions and the unity of the country.

As to the two issues on which BJP continued the disruption of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, in the last days of the budget session, namely, those of Miss Uma Bharati and V D Savarkar, it must be emphasised that neither has anything at all to do with out national honour. Whatever the fate of the criminal proceedings against her, it was Miss Uma Bharati who insulted the national flag by using it as an excuse to ignite a communal flare-up, which resulted in considerable loss of human life. As for Savarkar, while no one disputes his services to the freedom struggle before his incarceration in the Andamans, the facts of his later political life, his apologetic undertakings to the British government, his “two-nation” pronouncements, his Hindutva Communalism, and his post-Andamans abstention from the freedom struggle, are all established facts. Finally, he must always remain under a cloud in the case of the assassination of the Father of our Nation. It is extremely hurtful to the sentiments of people to demand that Savarkar be paid homage on behalf of the whole nation in any manner whatsoever.

Simultaneously, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are seeking to prevent the desaffronisation of school textbooks by a campaign of vilification and disinformation. The fantasies and falsehoods introduced into the NCERT school textbooks under the BJP regime are now being sought to be passed off merely as a part of “nationalist” exposition of history as against a “Leftist” one in the older textbooks, as if “nationalism” (read communalism) can legitimise wholesale departures from truth. To call any corrective action against the BJP regime’s poison-laden textbooks as “anti-national” is an unacceptable belittling of the nation itself. We also wish to ask the RSS what contribution did the RSS ever make to the freedom struggle? And will they not too, like Savarkar, ever remain under a cloud over Gandhiji’s murder, what with their constant tirade of abuse against him over his defence of Hindu-Muslim unity and their spontaneous jubilation all over the country after his martyrdom?

These facts cannot be erased from our memory, no matter how much noise and rowdyism the BJP lets loose.

Let people be on guard!                   

(INN)