The political project of creating a Hindu Rashtra, where religion is a requirement for citizenship itself, necessitates an attack on science, history and art.
Don’t call him to your place the first time. He could be a stalker who now has your address. Or worse. He overstays his welcome, clogs your toilet, picks his nails, and snores.
Germany’s erstwhile Christian Democratic Union govt, led by Angela Merkel, prevented sale of small arms to police forces in states they perceived had ‘bad human rights record’.
A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.
Within months of the Modi government coming to power in 2014, one Muslim engineer was assassinated in Pune. It goes to the credit of Rajnath Singh that he ordered stern action, and the chief of a Hindutva organization was arrested in connection with that murder. I forget its name, I think it was called Sanatan Sanstha. But I clearly remember its Chief’s name — Dhananjay Desai. He was arrested, and I think he’s still in jail.
After that, for some unfortunate reason all BJP governments, at the centre as well as in states, decided to shut their eyes on Muslim assassinations in subsequent months and years. Because it was one of the earlier ones in the series, Akhlaq’s killing evoked great shock among the secular minded Indians all over the country. Many Sahitya Akademi awards were returned in protest.
There was no stern action against that act from any senior leader of the BJP. Prime minister Modi was silent. I don’t remember any meaningful words of censor even from the RSS at that juncture. When there was an outcry about the growing intolerance in Indian society, speeches were made by the PM and other BJP leaders and TV spokespersons that India was a tolerant country ever since the times of Gautam Budhha and Gandhi!
The killings of the Muslims continued; the trend accelerated pace in the absence of any condemnation from the powers that be. Time also passed — more than 4 years of it. And NOW when we are barely a few months away from major elections in the country, we suddenly have these very welcome statements from the RSS!
Or more specifically, from its Sarsanghchalak (Chief), Mohan Bhagwat. Kumar Ketkar very importantly points out that there is no transparency on how things work within the RSS, how decisions are taken etc. Even during the recent 3 day conclave in Delhi we could see 4-5 other senior leaders of the organization sitting on the dais. Not even one of them voiced the same views as Mr Bhagwat. Nor did any leader from the BJP second his views in print or on TV, to the best of my knowledge. So I would say Mr Bhagwat has surely succeeded in one thing — in confusing people! Some analysts are saying it’s a paradigm shift, some are saying it’s too good or too early to believe. Common people like me are Seesawing: up with hope at one moment, down with doubt at the next. Again taking a cue from Mr Ketkar’s observation, what if Mr Bhagwat is replaced as the Chief in some time, say after the 2019 elections? Where will this “paradigm shift” stand then?
Because Mr Bhagwat’s pronouncements have come so close to the state and lok sabha elections, because there was not even a murmur of a brewing shift in thinking for the entire four odd years of the present government’s tenure, the RSS has the onerous task of proving its sincerity. The words of this English proverb sound a bit brash, but I will still say it because it conveys the meaning: “Put your money where your mouth is.” In other words, if Mr Bhagwat and therefore the RSS want us to believe that they mean what they say, they should EXPRESSLY FORBID their cadre from campaigning for the BJP in all forthcoming elections. Because in the past four odd years the BJP government has proved without a shade of doubt that its sentiments towards the Muslims are EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of Mr Bhagwat has recently propounded, and which are to be taken as the NEW THINKING in the RSS. Otherwise, what will happen to this country “in next 50 years?!”
In a young nation, where about two thirds of the population is below thirty years of age, ruling for fifty years is a rhetorical flourish. It would mean relying on the voting preferences of the unborn whose parents are still in diapers.
Within months of the Modi government coming to power in 2014, one Muslim engineer was assassinated in Pune. It goes to the credit of Rajnath Singh that he ordered stern action, and the chief of a Hindutva organization was arrested in connection with that murder. I forget its name, I think it was called Sanatan Sanstha. But I clearly remember its Chief’s name — Dhananjay Desai. He was arrested, and I think he’s still in jail.
After that, for some unfortunate reason all BJP governments, at the centre as well as in states, decided to shut their eyes on Muslim assassinations in subsequent months and years. Because it was one of the earlier ones in the series, Akhlaq’s killing evoked great shock among the secular minded Indians all over the country. Many Sahitya Akademi awards were returned in protest.
There was no stern action against that act from any senior leader of the BJP. Prime minister Modi was silent. I don’t remember any meaningful words of censor even from the RSS at that juncture. When there was an outcry about the growing intolerance in Indian society, speeches were made by the PM and other BJP leaders and TV spokespersons that India was a tolerant country ever since the times of Gautam Budhha and Gandhi!
The killings of the Muslims continued; the trend accelerated pace in the absence of any condemnation from the powers that be. Time also passed — more than 4 years of it. And NOW when we are barely a few months away from major elections in the country, we suddenly have these very welcome statements from the RSS!
Or more specifically, from its Sarsanghchalak (Chief), Mohan Bhagwat. Kumar Ketkar very importantly points out that there is no transparency on how things work within the RSS, how decisions are taken etc. Even during the recent 3 day conclave in Delhi we could see 4-5 other senior leaders of the organization sitting on the dais. Not even one of them voiced the same views as Mr Bhagwat. Nor did any leader from the BJP second his views in print or on TV, to the best of my knowledge. So I would say Mr Bhagwat has surely succeeded in one thing — in confusing people! Some analysts are saying it’s a paradigm shift, some are saying it’s too good or too early to believe. Common people like me are Seesawing: up with hope at one moment, down with doubt at the next. Again taking a cue from Mr Ketkar’s observation, what if Mr Bhagwat is replaced as the Chief in some time, say after the 2019 elections? Where will this “paradigm shift” stand then?
Because Mr Bhagwat’s pronouncements have come so close to the state and lok sabha elections, because there was not even a murmur of a brewing shift in thinking for the entire four odd years of the present government’s tenure, the RSS has the onerous task of proving its sincerity. The words of this English proverb sound a bit brash, but I will still say it because it conveys the meaning: “Put your money where your mouth is.” In other words, if Mr Bhagwat and therefore the RSS want us to believe that they mean what they say, they should EXPRESSLY FORBID their cadre from campaigning for the BJP in all forthcoming elections. Because in the past four odd years the BJP government has proved without a shade of doubt that its sentiments towards the Muslims are EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of Mr Bhagwat has recently propounded, and which are to be taken as the NEW THINKING in the RSS. Otherwise, what will happen to this country “in next 50 years?!”
In a young nation, where about two thirds of the population is below thirty years of age, ruling for fifty years is a rhetorical flourish. It would mean relying on the voting preferences of the unborn whose parents are still in diapers.