That the Bharatiya Janata Party is a house divided against itself is
clear from its rabble rousers: First, the choice of President, and, now
the party’s prime ministerial candidate. Even before the party stalwarts
had come to an understanding on whom to support, Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee had emerged as a clear winner and it’s a foregone
conclusion that he would be the next President.
Now, the BJP has
set its sights on the prime ministerial candidate to be projected as
the National Democratic Alliance’s face for the 2014 parliamentary
polls. The ‘face’ that launches, and hopefully propels, the party into
power has been elusive for a long time; if one is found, the person
finds himself or herself mired in controversies.
Nevertheless, the BJP national executive has dropped enough hints at its recent Mumbai conclave that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the man to lead the country if the party and its allies win the 2014 mandate. Given the communal baggage he carries with him, from carnages to development claims, it’s hardly surprising that there are few takers.
The bitter critic is Modi’s beta noire Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister, whose statement that the BJP should project a person with ‘secular’ credentials as prime ministerial nominee has triggered a war of words between Sangh Parivar and the party’s ally Janata Dal (United) in Bihar.
Modi has added fuel to the fire saying the country needed a ‘Hindu’ leader; a stand endorsed and backed by his fraternal RSS and other Hindu outfits, and attacked by Nitish. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has gone a step further saying “the country should have a PM who believes in the Hindutva ideology.”
What is disconcerting in his pronouncement is mixing religion with politics and giving saffron colour to the elections even before dates were announced. It’s a firmly established fact that India is a secular country and the concept, both in principle and in practice, is enshrined in the Constitution. The BJP as well as those who subscribe to such ideologies know it well and they have had bitter experiences at the hands of voters whenever politico-religious cocktails were offered to them.
The RSS chief seems confused between ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hindutva’, and by interpolating the former with the latter he is not only misleading the people but also changing the complexion of Hinduism. In his own words, “Hinduism is an all- inclusive religion … follows a broad philosophy.” Once its catholicity is accepted, its secularity is inherently apparent and our history bears witness to it.
But by tagging an ideology to it -- “to keep Hindutva ideology alive, the Hindu Samaj needs to come together and the country should have a prime minister who believes in this ideology” -- the RSS chief is trying to make people believe that Hindutva and Hinduism are one and the same.
The only thing that is common between the two is ‘Hindu.’ While the former is an ideology, the latter is a way of life. When an ideology becomes a way of life it puts an end to religion; in this case the way we live. To think and publicly state that Hinduism and Hindutva are synonymous in nature is fallacious.
While everyone is free to express one’s own views, invoking religion in the hope of garnering votes can prove counterproductive in a country whose secular credentials and faith in secularism are exemplary. If not, we wouldn’t have had leaders from different faiths at the helm of affairs in independent India.
Any national party rooting for power should focus on what they would -- and should --deliver in a five-year tenure than on the religious proclivities of the head of the government. What matters more is performance than his/her religious denomination or caste identity. The sooner the principal parties shed the bigoted mindset the better for the country and the people.
Nevertheless, the BJP national executive has dropped enough hints at its recent Mumbai conclave that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the man to lead the country if the party and its allies win the 2014 mandate. Given the communal baggage he carries with him, from carnages to development claims, it’s hardly surprising that there are few takers.
The bitter critic is Modi’s beta noire Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister, whose statement that the BJP should project a person with ‘secular’ credentials as prime ministerial nominee has triggered a war of words between Sangh Parivar and the party’s ally Janata Dal (United) in Bihar.
Modi has added fuel to the fire saying the country needed a ‘Hindu’ leader; a stand endorsed and backed by his fraternal RSS and other Hindu outfits, and attacked by Nitish. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has gone a step further saying “the country should have a PM who believes in the Hindutva ideology.”
What is disconcerting in his pronouncement is mixing religion with politics and giving saffron colour to the elections even before dates were announced. It’s a firmly established fact that India is a secular country and the concept, both in principle and in practice, is enshrined in the Constitution. The BJP as well as those who subscribe to such ideologies know it well and they have had bitter experiences at the hands of voters whenever politico-religious cocktails were offered to them.
The RSS chief seems confused between ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hindutva’, and by interpolating the former with the latter he is not only misleading the people but also changing the complexion of Hinduism. In his own words, “Hinduism is an all- inclusive religion … follows a broad philosophy.” Once its catholicity is accepted, its secularity is inherently apparent and our history bears witness to it.
But by tagging an ideology to it -- “to keep Hindutva ideology alive, the Hindu Samaj needs to come together and the country should have a prime minister who believes in this ideology” -- the RSS chief is trying to make people believe that Hindutva and Hinduism are one and the same.
The only thing that is common between the two is ‘Hindu.’ While the former is an ideology, the latter is a way of life. When an ideology becomes a way of life it puts an end to religion; in this case the way we live. To think and publicly state that Hinduism and Hindutva are synonymous in nature is fallacious.
While everyone is free to express one’s own views, invoking religion in the hope of garnering votes can prove counterproductive in a country whose secular credentials and faith in secularism are exemplary. If not, we wouldn’t have had leaders from different faiths at the helm of affairs in independent India.
Any national party rooting for power should focus on what they would -- and should --deliver in a five-year tenure than on the religious proclivities of the head of the government. What matters more is performance than his/her religious denomination or caste identity. The sooner the principal parties shed the bigoted mindset the better for the country and the people.
Courtesy : The Hans India
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