Decoding Bhagwat-Modi duo’s Muslim googly

Samvartha ‘Sahil’ | coastaldigest.com
September 20, 2018

The Chief of RSS Mohan Bhagwat’s statement saying Muslims are a part of the Hindu Rashtra dream of the RSS and their vision of the nation has a place for Muslims though appears to be a googly, beyond the surface actually it isn’t.

The statement made by the RSS chief at the three day conglomeration of the Sangh, came couple of days after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Imam Husain at Indore.  At the programme organised by the Dawoodi Bohra community, the act of Prime Minister Narednra Modi embracing the religious head of Dawoodi Bohra community, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin created ripples along with the praise made by him of the Bohra community.

Both these events came as a surprise to all including both the supporters and critiques of the Prime Minister and his ideological family- RSS. But a close observation of this reveals that neither of them is playing off the tune notes.

The RSS has never in its history held the desire to wipe Muslims out of this country. They, starting from their Guru Golwalkar, have always maintained the position that Muslims should live in India like second grade citizens. The allegory given by RSS throughout their history is that of big brother and younger brother, demanding the Muslims as the younger brother accept an unequal position and listen to the elder brother, the Hindus.

Yes, of course the RSS and the Prime Minister are saying nothing new or different from the philosophy of the party. But they are speaking half-truth making their position appear like that of inclusion and respect, at an interesting turn of times. No, this is not just an appropriation tactic before the elections and appeasement of the well to do Bohra community. It is all of that but it is not just that.

A close observation of the Congress party and its action reveals how desperately it is trying to impress the Hindu community and at proving itself as not an anti-Hindu party or a pro-Muslim party. Rahul Gandhi’s visits to temples were one of the series of things orchestrated by the Congress party to make this point. A fresh action on the same lines for the same purpose is the journey to be taken in Madhya Pradesh by five leaders, including Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh, called Rampath Gaman. In this journey they will be retracing the footsteps of Ram and Sita during their exile.

It can be remembered how the BJP and RSS went on an aggressive hate campaign against the Congress accusing them of being pleasers of the Muslim community and being anti-Hindu. The BJP and RSS bullied the Congress so much that under the pressure of it now the Congress is trying to prove itself as a not an anti-Hindu party! Apparently, the Congress has fallen into the trap.

BJP and RSS, like they have been doing in the recent past, are again dictating the rules of the game and all of the opposition, not just Congress, are playing the game as per the rules decided by the BJP and RSS.

The action of the Congress, which is a reaction to the allegations made by the BJP, has actually triggered a sense of abandonment among the Muslims, who already have been feeling alienated because of the politics of the BJP and RSS. Taking advantage of this situation, now BJP is trying to tell the Muslim community that the Congress cannot be trusted while they can be. But of course the condition always is that the Muslim community will have to accept a second grade citizenship and behave like a younger brother, obedient to the elder brother. With Congress abandoning them, the Muslim community is forced to give supporting BJP a thought. Thus the BJP has erased opposition further.

Moreover, one should realize that Modi and the RSS are now so powerful that they can say whatever they wish to say and continue to do what they believe in, without bothering if their words and actions might appear contrary. Social scientists have identified this new phenomenon being seen not just in India but also in the United States of America and Russia where the authoritarian figures are making contrary statements one after the other and still not being held accountable or answerable neither for any of their statements or for their contradictions. The powerful, it is said, is so powerful that they determine what is to be believed as the truth. The new phenomenon is like a Chinese proverb that says, “That which triumphs is the truth,” which is quite the opposite of what was being told and believed in India: “Truth triumphs.”

In such a scenario what we can infer from what Modi and the RSS are saying is not that they have undergone a change of heart but only that they are more powerful than ever.

 

[Samvartha ‘Sahil’ is a freelance writer based out of Manipal, Karnataka. An alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, he has earlier worked as an academician at Manipal University and as a journalist with The Hindu.]

Comments

Peacelovers
 - 
Friday, 21 Sep 2018

One who follows creators path he will completely protected by the creator. No one keechad patty will harm or they succeed with their wrong n cunning thought.

 

These thugs are for a temporary period n cannot expext any thing better for mankind n our  Nation.

 

Jai Hind!

 

 

FAIRMAN
 - 
Thursday, 20 Sep 2018

What HINDU RASHTRA,

there is no such things nor  Muslim Rashtra, nor Sikh, Christian Rashtras.

 

This is rashtra belongs to all. Not belongs anybody's father.

This is Great India with All commnuties.

 

 

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News Network
April 3,2020

Bengaluru, April 3: Thirteen people in Karnataka, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have tested positive for coronavirus, said state education minister S Suresh Kumar.

"13 attendees of Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event have tested COVID-19 positive and 187 were tested negative," said Kumar, who has been entrusted to look into queries related to COVID-19.

He added, "A total number of four COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed today -- a 75-year-old man in Bagalkote, a 70-year-old in Belagavi, a 26-year-old in Belagavi and a 20-year-old in Belagavi."

"The three people from Belagavi had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi," he said, adding that the total number of cases in the state increased to 128.

The reports of 88 other people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event are yet to be received, the minister said.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India on Friday rose to 2,547 including 162 cured/discharged and 62 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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News Network
June 7,2020

New Delhi, Jun 7: The Karnataka government has asked the railways to make announcements at originating stations that it was compulsory for passengers travelling to the state to register themselves on the ‘Seva Sindhu’ portal through which they can be tracked.

In a letter to Chairman Railway Board on Saturday, Chief Secretary of the state T M Vijay Bhaskar said many passengers are not aware of this mandatory rule of the southern state.

He said thousands of passengers are coming to Karnataka from New Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra and other states through trains everyday, but most of them are not registered under the Seva Sindhu portal of the Government of Kamataka.

"If passengers are not registered under Seva Sindhu, the state will not be able to track them. Therefore, it is necessary to create awareness among the passengers regarding registration under the portal.

"Hence, it is requested to give instructions to origin railway stations to make announcements that ‘It is compulsory for all passengers travelling to Karnataka to register in Seva Sindhu portal. Otherwise they will not be allowed for home quarantine’, and also to give passengers awareness (about this) at the time of booking tickets,” Bhaskar said in his letter to the national transporter.

Seva Sindhu portal, under the control of the Karnataka government, provides various online services to the citizens of the state.

Currently, this portal is playing an important role in helping those stranded amid the COVID-19 pandemic to fill online registration forms for availing e-passes.

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News Network
April 21,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 21: The Karnataka Government may spare its employees from salary cuts this month despite severe resources crunch it faces following steep fall in revenue collection due to the ongoing lockdown to fight the coronavirus, official sources said on Tuesday.

As of now, there is no problem with April salary and we can manage. But if May also turns out to be a wash-out (in terms of revenue collection), then the situation is going to be very tough, a senior Minister said.

Ministers and members of Karnataka Legislature are taking a 30 per cent pay-cut for a year from April 1 this year. Opposition Congress in the state has vehemently opposed any possible move to cut salaries of government employees.

You just cant even imagine, the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had told news agency in an interview earlier this month on the economic impact of the lock-down on the state's finances. Yediyurappa had also said that the government is now not in a position to implement Budget proposals, barring important ones, with all kinds of revenue collections having completely stopped following the lockdown.

The government recently said it proposes to regularise unauthorised properties in the state by imposing penalty, and also auction more than 12,000 corner sites belonging to the Bengaluru Development Authority, as part of resource mobilisation drive.

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