The scrapping of the Dabhol agreement with Enron power Corporation by the BJP Shiv Sena government, on the one hand, and the stepped-up activity by the Vishya Hindu Parishad at Mathura, on the other, signify the new aggressive mood of Indian’s Hindu fundamentalism. The BJP Shiy Sena coalition Projects the unilateral ending of the Rs 9000 crore project agreement as assertion of India’s independence vis a vis forcing multinational corporations. It is nobody’s case that the terms of the agreement ideally tilted in favor of India, Even the Enron Corporation was not averse to modifications, if necessary. But the Hindu fundamentalist parties are not much concerned about the merits of the Enron controversy. It could be shown, for instance, that most of the state electricity boards in India produce power at much higher costs per unit than what the Enron Corporation promised. In India’s context what is more important is the speed with which electricity generation projects are completed rather than the marginal higher cost, per unit they entail. What is noteworthy is that the Hindu fundamentalists have been supported in their confrontation with Enron by Leftist parties also. Even the ruling Congress (I) party’s defense of the Enron agreement was muted. What are uppermost in Indian parties’ mind are not so much the economic interests of the country. The real thing in their mind is the aggressive ascension of political nationalism which, according to contain Indian commentators, is close to Hitler’s National Socialism. There is yet another angle to the Enron controversy in the Maharashtra state. Most Dalits and Muslim unemployed who would have been potential beneficiates of the project are unhappy with the cancellation and have described the state government’s action as “Brahminical conspiracy” to deprive non Brahmans benefits from the project.

At the other end of India’s landscape, the ever aggressive V.H.P. is on the war path again. This tire the Hindu fundamental have chosen a new place Mathura to demolish another Muslim. shrine. The V.H.P. volunteers have surrounded the shrine and are threatening to demolish it on the ground that it was really the birth Place of Hindus’ mythical God, Krishna, which hundreds of years. ago Was converted into the Muslim shrine in the same way as the Babri Masjid did at Ayodhia, The V.H.P, threats have caused embarrassment to the BJP-propped up Dalit government in U.P. whose chief minister Mayavati had to rush to Delhi to meet the prime minister. The Indian central goverment has taken precautionary measures at Mathra but no one is quite convinced about the Rao government’s commitment to secularism. The public cynically recalls similar assurances of protection to the Ayodhya shrine by the Indian prime minister. The general suspicion about Rao’s Intentions is highlighted by the fact that he himself approved of his Hindu fundamentalist home minister S.B. Chavan joining the BJP Shiy Sena government’s program of celebrating Chayan’s birthday at Bombay last week. Is Rao in secret parleys with BJP and other Hindu fundamentalists for a possible coalition or a poll arrangement? Observers in India do not rule out any such possibility considering Rao’s fundamentalist bent of mind, If Rao were to vacate his chair tomorrow, his choice of prime minister will probably be S.B. Chavan, should the ruling party manage to return to power alone or in collaboration with others. In essence, a link stands established between the avowed Hindu fundamentalists of the BJP Shiv Sena variety and the crypto fundamentalist Narasimha Rao.

The rising tide of Hindu fundamentalism does not permit the Indian government to adopt a rational, practical policy in dealing with the recent abductions of certain western tourists by Kashmir militants, Normally, it should not be difficult to release a few prisoners to save the lives of innocent tourists, The Indian fundamentalists are not realizing the innocence cost the Indian people themselves will have to bear as consequence of the Enron cancellation or the threatened killings in Kashmir.

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 18, 1995