Despite crisis, Modi's Hindutva strategy 'increased' mass base in society and polity

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* 
Narendra Modi and his RSS brethren can qualify as masters of fake claims. There is a long lists of lies spread by RSS, BJP and their IT cell workers. It is not a personality disorder or lying with fear. They are trained to defend Modi and his government’s decisions in whatever possible way. They defended demonetisation by arguing that it is “an important step” in his fight against black money and corruption.
Modi appealed Indians emotionally by his make-believe oratory in November 2016. He said, “I have asked the country for just 50 days. If after December 30, there are shortcomings in my work or there are mistakes or a bad intention found in my work, I will be prepared for the punishment that the country decides for me”.
Many months and years have passed, yet demonetisation failed to achieve any of the objectives. Modi has neither taken any moral responsibility nor maintained any political and democratic accountability. The demonetisation decision really destroyed the Indian economy. Similar strategy was adopted during the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and it killed small businesses and weakened Indian economy further.
Agricultural reform policies have further exposed Modi’s commitment to his capitalist cronies at the cost of Indian farmers and the Indian agricultural economy. His promises of employment to youths, women’s empowerment, fellowships to students and increasing farmers income are series of false promises made by Modi. His glaring failures from home to foreign policies and disgraceful management of the Coronavirus crisis reveals his fraudulent claims of good governance and promises of good days for India and Indians.
Indeed, governance by lies is a political strategy of Hindutva led by BJP and trained by the RSS in India. Modi’s inverse relationship with truth should not come as a surprise to anyone. Hindutva forces have always embraced false narratives to develop their irrational worldviews in the name of ‘cultural nationalism’ to serve its political project and economic objectives of their capitalist cronies. From the rewriting of Indian history to the Gujarat model of economic development is based on fraudulent narratives.
The love for falsehood is not unique to Hindutva forces. All fascists, anti-democratic, totalitarian and authoritarian leaderships and their ideologies are based on their excellent abilities in mainstreaming falsehoods. The culture of fake news, social media and new information technology is used by the 21st century to destroy scientific outlooks and reason among masses to control and domesticate people as subservient subjects.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 passed by the Modi government is not only intended to destroy citizenship rights of the religious minorities but also weaken citizenship rights of all Indians. The Hindutva fascists are against citizenship and democracy. This is why Hindutva protagonists are destroying and weakening all institutions of democracy in India.
The followers of Hindutva ideology believe in spreading hateful falsehood. Ironically, in spite of all the crisis, Hindutva forces have increased their mass base in Indian society and politics. The inherent political strategy of BJP and RSS capitalise falsehood to capture and uphold power at any cost. Deaths and destitutions do not disturb them.
It is not populism, but a political culture planted in India by BJP and RSS to weaken Indian state and democracy. They support violence and infuse fear as weapon to ensure that people accept their lies as truth. There is growing rape and violence against women and religious minorities in India as Hindutva forces encourage the fulfilment of their followers’ anti-Muslim and bottled-up sexual desires.
Hindutva forces stand with their followers in every action. They have organised public rallies in support of rapists and garlanded leaders of mob lynching. Everyday violence is their governing principle. It is a distinctive process developed and practiced by most of the fascists to serve their political, economic and cultural projects.
Truth is a reflection on realities of life and livelihoods. Hindutva forces don’t reflect on realities. They believe in truth that comes from mythology. They normalise and naturalise their falsehoods as truth with the help of mythology. Therefore, they rewrite Indian history to undermine material and scientific foundations of history and its relevance to people and their everyday life.

Fascists, totalitarian and authoritarian leaders and their ideologies are based on excellent abilities in mainstreaming falsehoods

The rewriting of history is a common project of Hindutva forces and their neoliberal supporters. Both these forces undermine the material conditions, spiritual harmony and social relationships between human beings and nature. This dehumanizing project is fundamental to militarise minds of people to normalise violence and falsehoods spread by Hindutva forces.
Hindutva isn’t a counter revolutionary movement. It is neither a nationalist nor a cultural movement of transformation of Indian society and politics. It is a revivalist movement established by Brahminical social order to uphold their caste hierarchy and economic interests in the society which is concomitant with neoliberal capitalism.
There is no economic, social development, health education and foreign policy to guide India today for the future of Indians and their country. The cabinet under Modi is virtually defunct. Everything runs on the basis of Modi’s instincts. There is no reason or rhyme in his governance. There is a constant effort to hide ignorance and failures.
Modi blames everyone including his predecessors to ignore and avoid his responsibilities as the PM of India. He and his supporters demonises Muslims, religious minorities, human rights activists, youth, students and farmers to reject truth and reality. From gas theory to cloud theory, Modi spreads unscientific and irrational outlooks in India which is opposed to the spirit of Indian constitution.
Knowledge and science is the enemy of Hindutva and their poster boy, whose classmates and qualifications are unknown. Modi’s public conduct encourages fraudulent culture in India. The electoral victory of Hindutva forces push India backward. It has put India and Indian in risk, destroying the present and wiping out conditions for a better future of Indians.
The revival of India and the future of Indians depend on collective struggles against Hindutva forces and their irrational, unscientific ideology and deceptive political strategies. In 2021, Indian nationalism and patriotism means to defeat Hindutva fascism from every sphere of Indian lives. It is a struggle between lies of Hindutva and everyday realities of people in India.
The history has witnessed the glorious victories of struggles against colonialism and fascism. Indians have nothing to lose but to defeat Modi and company to fortify the democratic and secular future of India in peace and prosperity.
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*University of Glasgow, UK