The post-truth world believes perception is reality. Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks invincible. His popularity only increases – year after year, election after election. With majority support, it seems like only he could have abrogated Article 370 the way he did or criminalised triple talaq or won with a massive mandate even after demonetisation and downfall of the economy.
And yet, Modi is fearful. Who can possibly scare the Prime Minister? Not terrorists, trade unionists, voters or opposition leaders, but a small group of intellectuals. The thinkers of India.
The BJP likes to disparagingly call them the ‘Khan Market gang’ or the ‘Lutyens’ club’.
Also read: Khan Market booth didn’t vote for Modi. This is why he projects himself as anti-elitist
No Bolshevik Revolution here
India’s intellectuals are not plotting a Bolshevik Revolution to overthrow the Modi government. But the troika – Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Ajit Doval – treat them with nothing but contempt and suspicion. And now Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami has called them the ‘Negativity Gang’.
What happened to ‘sickular’ or ‘jholawalas’ or ‘NGO types’, one wonders.
The BJP’s social media machinery aggressively and viciously trolls this community. Sometimes, even supporters of Modi criticise his policies or statements. But the troll armies do not spare them either. They are instantly thrown into the Khan Market club. There is no mercy petition—be it a Mohandas Pai or a Tavleen Singh.
This so-called class of intellectuals or media commentators is not united. Their ideologies are as diverse as the fifty shades of grey, like Manish Tewari likes to say. They do not belong to any political party. Indeed, they take huge pride in being totally ‘independent’. But Modi’s BJP likes to treat them as one bloc.
And it’s not like they criticise only the BJP. India’s intellectuals want Sonia Gandhi to take certain major steps and they advise Rahul Gandhi on how to be a leader. They write extensively on what the Left, in general, and communists, in particular, should do to come out of the irrelevance they are currently in. But none of them directly participate in any party fora.
I would not call them armchair pontiffs. Nor would I condemn them as self-centred bystanders, unwilling to take the plunge in politics. Most of them genuinely want to keep freedoms intact and scholarship alive. They do not want to fall prey to party discipline or tightly binding ideology. This class believes that the powers that be are afraid of ideas, debates and intellectual exchange.
Also read: Time Modi & Amit Shah stop abusing Lutyens’ Delhi. They are the new power elite in Capital
A harmless community
So, in what way are they a threat to the vast power structure Narendra Modi has in his command? Or how can they make a dent in his charisma (manufactured or real)? They have no mass following, beyond Khan Market or Lutyens’ Delhi. They can only impress each other in the seminars at the India International Centre or the Habitat Centre. They gossip privately.
Politically, this community is totally harmless. These intellectual groups exist in most countries. For instance, in the US, this community is sardonically known as the ‘Boston Brahmins’. In England, in the post-aristocratic era, the university-educated elite acquired that status. George Bernard Shaw, in his famous play Pygmalion, characterises them as vain parasites.
In Communist Russia, this intellectual lot was called the nomenklatura, though their vanity and status came from their proximity to the state or party bosses. The Indian Communist parties too had their own ‘Marxist Brahmins’, who dictated and dominated the politburo – the Bhadralok in Bengal. Today, the Brahminical hold over this community is still deep and wide.
Also read: Why the lack of approval from Lutyens’ Delhi bothers Narendra Modi so much
What scares Modi
But why does Narendra Modi hold this class in such utter contempt? Is it deep-rooted in the ‘anti-Brahminism’ of the OBCs? For the last few years, Modi has been wearing his OBC status on his sleeve. But there is a paradox. The RSS, even today, is extremely Brahmin-dominated. Although, there was a conscious effort when Balasaheb Deoras became the Sarsanghchalak to promote OBCs in the party.
There are often reports from within the Sangh Parivar that the RSS and Modi are not on the same page. Occasionally there is hush-hush talk about the RSS hostility towards Modi. The RSS apparatchiks say that the Sangh has always been against a personality cult.
But Modi’s power flows from that personality cult. If the cult goes, power vanishes. So, there are constant efforts to preserve the image. Press conferences or real interaction with the media can damage the image. So, the scripted interviews continue.
Arnab Goswami would be better than Ravish Kumar. Conversation with Akshay Kumar is better than with Ramachandra Guha. Prasoon Joshi is more suitable than Pritish Nandy. Monologue ‘Mann ki Baat’ is better than dialogue.
Neither the Modi government nor the Sangh Parivar has intellectuals in their vast armies. Even though Brahmin, most in the Khan Market gang are brought up on Western intellectual and literary diet. So, they do not join the Hindutva bandwagon. Some of them prefer to be quiet fellow travellers of the Parivar.
Modi feels intellectually vulnerable in their company.
Also read: How India’s liberals and opposition can start winning the battle of ideas
No country for intellectuals
The mediocre is always afraid and hateful of the ‘buddhijivi’. Their inferiority complex and lack of comprehension of multi-dimensional reality make their choices limited. They prefer simplistic solutions to complex issues – like for Ram Mandir, triple talaq, beef, yoga, etc.
Modi is at once a product of the mediocrity of the Sangh and a megalomaniac personality. So, he feels threatened by clever people who challenge his facts and narrative. He tries to create the world in his own image. He is not happy to be just a Prime Minister. He wants to be a world statesman. The pliant media helps in this image-making process.
Modi’s attack on Khan Market and Lutyens’ Delhi is a reflection of his acute insecurity. Instead of facing the opposition, he runs them down in public; instead of arguing with reason, he creates a fog of faith. Instead of meeting the press, he meets embedded editors and bonded members of Parliament.
The Indian nomenklatura and the Boston Brahmins in Khan Market threaten his carefully crafted image. He knows that if the image cracks, his days as PM will be numbered. So, condemn the thinkers of India to rally around the mass of mediocrity.
The author is a former editor and Congress member of Rajya Sabha. Views are personal.
Congress is a party in shambles and will soon disintegrate into dust. THAT does not change the fact that the Nagpur school is the world’s most mediocre school.
This author is frustrated because he has lost the nasha of power. If Pappu Gandhi won the election in 2019, then this same author would have been occupied in corruption scams. But now he is idle, nothing to do, so he thought of vent out his frustration through this article. Whoever u are, I am sure you are shameless and stubborn. Being a Rajya Sabha member is like getting so many responsibilities of people in his constituency. But this fellow is writing meaningless things here.
Read a few lines and was inclined to check who the author was. Oh ! Kumar Ketkar. No need to read further.
How the hell do you even nominate yourself and your group as intellectuals..!! I mean really..!! Don’t try to dilute yourself in the veil of intellectualism. You are those class of people, who are actually the most dumbest, zero iq level, no eq either, who cannot do anything in action, and neither they do have any real logic on what they talk..! These people purposely blind themselves of all the real ground substantial changes happening in such a short period of time as they are highly insecured that how can someone even do that..!!! It’s pure envy at the core of heart which makes you write such an article..! My advice to you- Work on being a better version of yourself and complete only with yourself, rather than putting someone down with your pseudo self proclaimed intellectualism. When you do something in substance, then come and talk over here.
After a long time India has got a leader in real terms who knows how to lead, who is fearless, who is a man of action and a man of substance.!His leadership makes me really feel the air of being a proud Indian. His each and every step is praise worthy. Namo namah..!!
I think what the author is saying is that the intellectual gang members will point out the nakedness of the Emperor one day … Isliye Modiji ko darr lagta hei unsse … Itna hi likha hei
The author has been a Congress MP, that too in Rajya Sabha, is clearly evident from his myopic and biased write up
What else can anyone expect from his pen?
Crores of indians wanted triple talak to go away for many decades just like 370. Divisive & discriminatory laws must be booted out with disdain they deserve. Does the “intellectual” of india wants a BREXIT mess in india or the ordinary american shooting spree in the name of freedom & democracy? Napaunsak political class, resilient and good at lighting candles only, who hold literary festivals but ban the satanic verses or taslima nasreen have been booted out. Give Modi his due you pathetic fake intellectuals. For the first time india moves with the head held High not on paper but in real.
Ab apki dukan band…..koi aur Dhanda dhundo…..shuddh Hindi main samazh ayega…yeh sub nahi chalega….Bharat ke paripreksh main bhi Zara sochna shuru kiziea…..
The height of helplessness of the writer…being intellectual is good but not superior to winning a mandate in a democracy…the author and all his leaders and stooges can’t get a mandate. Would be good for the author to shut up all orifices and keep quiet.
The author’s attitude of left intellectual superiority will ensure they will lose elections for ever…. The same thing happened in USA and got Trump to power.
Find ways to win..then talk !
I would rather prefer these people didn’t exist on the level at which they are supposed to be existing by the author. Modi is a gem of a person compared to the all sundry in the opposition (includes left, right and congress hypocrites).Not this person(Modi) should be the one to rule but some one like him is always a welcome change than the ones we have seen till now.
Intellectual discussions are fine. But are these providing any workable solutions to the issues being faced by millions of our fellow countrymen. Or just project another point of view. Their relevance may be only till the end of intellectual discussion or debate. Ultimately , it is what gets translated into a workable solution for the betterment of majority. That is where present government ‘s actions are relevant and effective.
The person who wrote this article doesn’t seem to have a name. His only identity is former editor and congressman. Jobless?
That explains everything ?
Kumar Ketkar, the name
Agree entirely with you Ketkar. This insecurity is common to Modi, Trump, Mao, Hitler who try to enforce their world view on others. And I fully agree that all of Modi’s attempts to prove himself an intellectual and statesman in the mold of Vajpayee and Nehru have failed. You may recall his attempt at writing Gujarati poetry, ended up as toilet paper
Does this author think there are a handful of intellectuals in this country?
I am sorry to say there are many more who are extremely successful in many fields and believe in India’s trajectory.
The ‘ intellectuals ‘ he is talking about are armchair pseudo intellectuals without grasp of any single field in depth.
So please refrain from such articles
Good and commendable article. Voice of dissent, has to be heard. We are humans, we flock in diversity. Some times, a bitter pill is better than sweet poison.
Utter Nonsense. Why are such a people even sent in our Parliament? We do the biggest disservice by sending such psychophants to the temple of democracy.
The author of this article is totally clueless about what he is talking. No materialistic information.., just penning some senseless words best known to him and jokers/entertainers in his party.
Selective response by his party only indicates how much they love to comment on their democratically elected Head.
Please do not call them intellectuals. They are fault finding machines. They are insults to majority of people who agree to PM’s policies. No real intellectuals will agree with these immature intellectuals. Sorry. Only thing I can say is that stop siding the wrong narratives.
For 1200+ years, Hindu women raped by Muslim Invaders, raped Hindu women destroyed temples and mosques on that all Muslas and Khrstis.
For just last 4+ years a man walks on the landscape of Bharat to New Delhi through majority votes and tries to give some rights back to Hindus and the whole demonic dark dungeon world of under terrain India erupts to demean discourage disgrace debase and destroy Mr. Modi Bharat & Hindus. Just simply have some rights in one’s own country after being butchered up by aliens.
Just 4+ years as PM of Bharat out of 1200+ years of being butchered Hindus.
This is not about Hindutva, it is all about rights of Hindus in Hindusthan. which were robbed by Abra Ibra conquerors.
Why Hindus tolerate traitors among us? Can Hindus not have some freedom in Bharat????????? It will take million Bodies in next 1200+ years to keep Bharat free.
There is no difference scientifically between Muslim and Hindus , basic morality between all religion same , this illusion that give modi to all Indian divides humanity as hindu , Muslim ,. Just as hitler gave illusion his countrymen,
The democratic values of print has been shown by keep removing comments.
The pseudo liberals are so insecure that their control over people have gone.
Indians will not be fooled by you people this time.