The Indian state is moving deeper in crisis. The ruling party headed by Prime Minister Rao is unabashedly taking a pro-fun-mentalist line. Means are considered immaterial to achieve political aims; the only target is the next election. Since the pro-fun-mentalist line can be sold easily to Hindus, the prime minister is bending over backwards to shape his politics accordingly. The main ingredients of Hindu fundamentalism in India’s context is destruction of all minority rights such as freedom of worship and freedom 10 set up educational and cultural institutions. In addition, the Hindu fundamentalist would like all important minority shrines to be destroyed so that Hindu menders are built there to symbolize the Hindu superiority over the minorities. History is being ‘cooked’ in India contrary to the painstaking research carried out by established historians including many belonging to the Hindu faith.
Fictional characters such as Ram are being projected as historical personalities. The aim is to rally the peer behind the upper caste Hindu leadership. Rao is a Brahman and the Hindu fundamentalism comes naturally to him. That is precisely why he shudders at the idea of the Indian state suppressing Hindu led agitations. He told Brahman sadhus at a meeting with them a few months ago that he would rather quit his office instead of shooting Brahmas even if they are engaged in destroying the Babri Masjid. That is exactly what he did when for five full hours the Hindu fundamentalists remained busy with demolishing the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya on Dec.6. He dismissed the B_J.P. state government only after the masjid had been wiped out. Later as a cover up the prime minister ordered a judicial enquiry into the Ayodhya incidents.
Who will be the judge? A clean-shaven Sikh from Haryana known | for his pro-government thinking. Similarly, while the entire country felt shocked at government forces inaction, the fascist gangs belonging to Shiv Sena were allowed to butcher more than 1000 Muslims in Bombay for more than a week. Numerous delegations met the prime minister to express their resentment but to no avail. A few sensitive film personalities from Bombay nearly fought it out with Rao. But the latter remained unresponsive and cold. He went on repealing parrot like that the matter was being looked into by defence minister Sharad Pawar and that his visitors should wait for the results. Pawar, in tum, assured Rao on telephone that he would control the situation in hours. Is that not a sufficient proof of the ‘unnatural and far-from-spontaneous nature of the roils? The prime ‘minister and the Congress (I) top brass of his variety are specialists ‘in crooked communal politics: was a bit not Mrs.Gandhi who ordered the killings of a few thousand Sikhs and destruction of their Golden Temple to win elections in Jammu and Delhi: Was it not Rajiv Gandhi who ordered a hundred odd Muslim youths to be picked up from U.P. to be butchered in cold blood to win the elections in Haryana? Again, was it not Rajiv Gandhi who ordered the killings of a few thousand Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere to pave the way ‘for Hindu consolidation behind his party in early 1985? So.
What the BIP i am doing as an article of faith is being outdone as a convenient shortcut to power by the Congress (I) headed by Rao.
He knows it pays 10 kill a few thousand Muslims. That is what was allowed to be done at Bombay, Mrs.Gandhi applied “balm” to the wounded Sikh psyche i in accordance with a plan chalked out in advance. Rajiv Gandhi did the same thing in his time. Rao is following exactly in the footsteps of his onetime bosses. Dutifully he also talks of applying “balm” after doing the needful. No wonder there is talk of a judicial enquiry into the Bombay riots. Many in India fear that! A similar operation by Hindu fundamentalists is being planned for Delhi with the Indian state’s connivance. If the past is any indication, many more Bombay’s will be enacted in the next few months to pave the way for midterm election to the Indian parliament.
This, then, is the Indian reality which, also, is not much known in the west. Most people here are Jed to believe that India is a democracy where rule or law prevails and those criticizing this system must ipso facto be terrorists. No wonder, there is talk of Pakistan being declared a “terrorist state” for coming to the rescue of the beleaguered Indian minorities, mainly the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian minorities will watch with interest the policies of the new U.S. administration towards the Indian state. We, on our part, are convinced that the U.S. authorities are inclined to underwrite the Indian state’s unity and integrity. At the same time, they are pledging support to human rights in India. What the U.S. administration will have to eventually understand is that human rights and India’s unity and integrity cannot go together. One must give way to the other. If India has to stay in its present form, it must crush human rights of its freedom loving minorities and other regional forces. If human rights of Indian people are to be protected, the country must split. Sooner the better because that will prevent bloodbaths and agony of millions.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 22, 1993
