It is a historical attainment for RSS. On January 22, it succeeded in striding one stable step towards altering the character and identity of India, from being a secular, socialist country to a theological Hindu Rashtra.
This is for the first time in the history of independent India when the prime minister not only mixed politics with religion instead he blatantly gave credence to religion above the politics. This was also for the first time that a prime minister spent not less a month visiting various temples and maths and offering pujas to the gods and deities. Modi did not find time to take care of the needs of the poor people of the country, but he went around praying to the gods to ensure his electoral victory.
Though RSS has made clear its intentions of turning India into a Hindu Rashtra long back and its all political actions were conceived and executed keeping that strategy in view, the month-long tour of Narendra Modi of south India simply underscores that he commenced the mission to arouse the Hindu sentiment and polarise the Hindus to help RSS in its mission. Hindus and Hinduism have historically been an extremely tolerant and all-inclusive entity in south India. Even if someone believes in many gods, Hinduism will accept him. The religious parameter of Hinduism was so wide and inclusive that all kind of people used to find a place in it. It never propounded sectarian approach and attitude as is being seen in the case of RSS and BJP.
The Hindutva historians belonging to the ‘WhatsApp University’, while have been methodically battering Muslim rulers for exploiting and converting Hindus to Islam, have so far not tried to find out the reasons for reluctance of south Indian Hindus in subscribing to the Hindutva philosophy of RSS. Due to this inclusiveness of Hinduism, Muslims have made less of an impact in South India, so there has been comparatively less political controversy in the region.
After Modi becoming the prime minister, RSS deployed its frontal organisations in all the southern states to foment communal tension and spread acute hatred between the two communities, but its machinations miserably failed. It failed to put one community against other. It is a fact that South Indians do not even believe in a lot of the religious aspects of Hinduism. These are simply a set of cultural norms.
RSS or for that matter Narendra Modi are not going to slacken their activities. As RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat put it, after consecration of Ram temple and “entry” of Ram Lalla in his house in Ayodhya the RSS will launch its most ambitious and variegated programme; beginning of the campaign for “reconstruction of Bharatvarsh” which is for harmony, unity, progress, peace and well-being of everyone.
RSS is out to use this occasion to completely communalise the Hindu community. Though this is a private celebration, a carnival organised by the Ram Janmabhumi Trust, the Modi government, obviously at the instructions of the RSS, has been projecting it as a national event. The state governments have been pressured to declare holiday so that Modi’s bhakts could watch him performing the inauguration. Certainly, the consecration event could not be an auspicious Hindu religious occasion. This move of RSS clearly implies that it is rewriting the Hindu religion, which suits its agenda of political Hindutva.
In an article posted on the RSS website, Bhagwat referred to the “continuous struggle of the Hindu society” for the construction of the temple in Ayodhya and said the “conflict and bitterness” over the dispute should now come to an end. He also said: “Now, the conflict that has arisen, as for and against the dispute, should be ended. The bitterness that has arisen in the meantime should also end. The enlightened people of society must see that the dispute ends completely. Ayodhya means a city where there is no war, a place free from conflict.”
In the transformed backdrop, the primary task for the RSS is to replace the word India with Bharat. Though this intent was made known nearly two months back by Modi himself, the RSS waited for the right time and opportunity. As Bhagwat said, “consecration of the Ram temple is the beginning of the campaign for reconstruction of Bharatvarsh”, the RSS would use this agenda to mobilise the Hindus in favour of rechristening India as Bharat. Already RSS and BJP have been organising mohalla rallies with the participants emphasising on the word Bharat.
Bhagwat has already made clear: “In the devotional celebration of January 22, along with the reconstruction of the temple, all of us have resolved for the reconstruction of Bharat and, through it, pave the way for reconstruction of the entire world.” To justify its action the RSS has been equating the inauguration event with August 15, 1947, the day became Independent. If the sources are to be relied, the RSS is getting ready to formally announce the change of name from India to Bharat, on the day the BJP forms its government for the three consecutive term after the Lok Sabha election. On that day Bharat will celebrate its day of liberation from colonial rule.
Consecration will witness beginning of a long stretch of religious programmes organised by the UP state unit of the RSS and BJP. The task has been entrusted to the UP units as it rejuvenates and motivate the lower rank cadres and prepare them for the Lok Sabha elections. One development which needs mention is the effort of Modi to popularise Ram in south India and him acceptable in the region. Though the people from south India are not against Ram, they prefer to worship their local deities and gods. The reason for Modi taking this pain while has its focus on Lok Sabha election, it aims more on making the south Indian people accept the RSS move to turn India a Hindu Rashtra, as it would be projecting Ram to give shape to its design.
Interestingly his primary focus has been on the temples in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These two states have refused to toe the political line of Hindutva of RSS and voted for left and secular parties. His visit to the Tamil Nadu temples with a Ramayana connect came just ahead of the consecration of Ram temple.
Ironically, while BJP under the command of RSS has marching ahead with its plan to win the election, the constituents of INDIA bloc are busy fighting amongst themselves. It is not that they are unaware of the importance of the election for RSS and also for their own. If a defeat will ensure a horizontal split in the BJP, the RSS will be faced with existential crisis. This election is more important for RSS than the BJP. In case BJP fails to win the election the entire effort put in by the RSS leaders during the last hundred years would go waste. Its dream to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra could never be achieved.
Nevertheless, the manner in which the INDIA leaders are behaving it simply reinforces the belief that they are not at all concerned of the possible threat from the RSS and BJP. The condition of INDIA bloc is worst in Bengal, Bihar and UP. The satraps of these states are completely detached from the ground realities. (IPA Service)
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