Has the BJP disowned this man?

Has the BJP disowned this man?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=067eb7bd-7f69-4f92-a822-53ac58444e59

Once again, a BJP President has called for a national debate on
secularism. This is an ominous sign. On an earlier occasion, when the
then BJP President, L.K. Advani, called for a similar debate, what
followed was the ‘rath yatra’ that led to the demolition of the Babri
Masjid.

At the recent national executive meet of the BJP that was held in the
afterglow of its electoral victory in Karnataka, Rajnath Singh asked
for the replacement of dharmanirpekshata (the Hindi translation in the
Constitution’s preamble for ‘secularism’, which means equality of all
religions) with panthnirpekshata (equality of all sects). This is
nothing else but the old RSS view that only Hinduism qualifies as a
religion, while all other religions merit recognition as sects.

It is, therefore, only natural that the RSS has endorsed this view.
The presidential address continued in the similar vein to restate that
the RSS demands for the abrogation of Article 370 and the imposition
of an Uniform Civil Code. It is, therefore, clear that in the run-up
to the 2009 general elections, the BJP is gearing up to further
sharpen communal polarisation by bringing the hardcore ‘Hindutva’
agenda to centrestage.

On the last occasion, when Advani gave the call for a debate on
secularism, he outlined the BJP’s conception in a set of two articles
(The Indian Express, December 27 and 28, 1992). Though these were
painfully laboured attempts to whitewash the party’s brazen violation
of law, the capitulation of the assurances given by it to the Supreme
Court and the National Integration Council, and to disguise the pre-
planned and rehearsed destruction of the Babri Masjid on the previous
day, three ‘covenants’ of BJP’s definition of secularism were
advanced:

n Rejection of theocracy: This means the automatic upholding of not
only democracy but also of secularism. However, does the BJP today
repudiate what M.S. Golwalkar had said: “In Hindustan exists, and must
exist, the ancient Hindu nation, and nought else but the Hindu nation.
All those not belonging to the national, i.e. Hindu race, religion,
culture and language, naturally fall out of the pale of real national
life.”

The BJP has not disowned this till date. This only means that they
are, once again, misleading the people and attempting to camouflage
the real RSS intention of transforming the modern secular democratic
Indian Republic into a rabidly intolerant ‘fascistic’ ‘Hindu
Rashtra’.

n Equality of all citizens irrespective of faith: The BJP’s commitment
to this concept can be understood only if they, once again, repudiate
what Golwalkar said: non-Hindus “have no place in national life,
unless they abandon their differences, adopt the religion, culture and
language of the nation, and completely merge themselves in the
national race. So long, however, as they maintain their racial
religious and cultural differences, they cannot but be only
foreigners.” Does the BJP repudiate this today?

n Full freedom of faith and worship: It is ironic that the BJP’s ‘PM-
in-waiting’ had advanced this precept of the BJP’s concept of
secularism the morning after the destruction of the Babri Masjid.
After the Gujarat carnage of 2002 and its current return to ‘RSS
basics’, it is unlikely that Rajnath Singh will repeat this. However,
if he does, the BJP’s sincerity can be understood, once again, if only
they are willing to repudiate what Golwalkar said:

“The foreign races in Hindustan must either adopt the Hindu culture
and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence the Hindu
religion, must entertain no idea except the glorification of the Hindu
religion and culture, i.e. of the Hindu nation, and must lose their
separate existence to merge in the Hindu race, or they may stay in the
country wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing,
deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment — not
even citizen’s rights. There is — or, at least, should be — no other
courses for them to adopt.

We are an old nation, let us deal as old nations ought to and do deal
with the foreign races who have chosen to live in our country.”

The BJP’s call for a national debate on secularism has no meaning
unless it clarifies unequivocally its position on these issues that
Advani had advanced as the BJP’s concept of secularism 16 years ago.

Not too ingeniously, Advani had then deliberately left out of his
definition of secularism, its scientific foundation, the separation of
religion from politics and the State. As long as this is not adhered
to, secularism, in the sense of equal rights to all belonging to
different faiths, cannot be ensured. In evading this, Advani is only
echoing Golwalkar: “With us, every action in life, individual, social
or political is a command of religion... Indeed politics itself
becomes... a small factor to be considered and followed solely as one
of the commands of religion and in accord with such commands. We in
Hindustan have been living such a religion (Hinduism).”

Religion is the sacred private relationship of every individual with
his God. Unless equal rights exist for those believing in different
religions or atheists, secularism cannot be secured. Remember,
Charvaka, the atheist, is as integral to the Indian tradition as is
the Saraswati Vandana. Thus, the BJP’s latest call for a debate on
secularism appears as a ruse to advance its core communal agenda. The
BJP is, once again, confirming that it is the political arm of the
RSS, a pseudo-Hindu party that misuses religion for its electoral
gains.

Sitaram Yechury is CPI(M) Politburo member and MP.

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