Skip to main content

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.
---
*University of Glasgow, UK

Comments

TRENDING

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos  The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857  By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”