Economics and culture could be mixed but certainly not the politics. It could be either centrist, liberal or rightist, but definitely not mixed. Ever since its birth in 1885, Congress has been a congregation of all shades of people, from rightists, centrists to leftists, but it steadfastly pursued the secular tenets.
Nevertheless, with BJP emerging as rightist face of the Indian politics and consistently sneaking into its secular pace, the Congress will have to make an idiosyncratic decision about its identity. Propelled by RSS, the BJP is projecting itself as the flagbearer of the rightist philosophy and idea the Congress cannot hope to carry the rightists elements along. Else it would have to face indignity and blame of being opportunist.
Congress leadership ought to realise that when the 24 carat Hindutva is available in the market, that is too at the cheap price, why should anyone prefer to purchase a mixed Hindutva, being sold as soft Hindutva. It at all Congress leadership intends to keep alive the oldest secular party of India, it must dissociate from the rightist mode of politics and also disown the individuals propounding the theory of soft Hindutva.
In the wake of the Congress resolve not to attend the consecration programme of Ram Temple in Ayodhya the section of vested interests and Hindu bigots have started accusing it of being anti Hindu. This accusation has not come as surprise. This was on the expected line. Even some so called Congress leaders and conscience keepers of the party have come out in public questioning the position of the leadership. These leaders have in fact been liability for the party and have so far not made any meaningful contribution to the party organisation. They have been basking in the glory of the party.
An impression is being created that the sneers from the BJP leaders has scared the Congress leaders to such an extent that they are confused about how to pass the “loyalty test” set up by the RSS-BJP for being considered a Hindu. This is purely a misnomer to believe that all Hindus subscribe to the philosophy of political Hindutva of RSS and BJP. If that had been the case the BJP would not have got simply 35 per cent of the vote that too in 2019 Lok Sabha election when the hurricane of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism was ravaging the country in the wake of genocide of 40 soldiers in Pulwama and Narendra Modi was seeking votes to avenge their “sacrifice”.
Congress must counter the “anti-Hindu” slur of the RSS and BJP, but must drag the saffron ecosystem, especially the RSS ideologues who define the philosophical line of BJP, into the public domain and force them to clarify whether the four Shankaracharyas are anti-Hindu by the same standard which they apply to denigrate the party. Congress social media head and spokesperson Supriya Shrinate is absolutely right in posing: “The sycophants who are breathlessly screaming since last evening against the Congress should debate why all the four Shankaracharyas are not going,”
This is right opportunity to give a new ideological line to the party. Rahul and Kharge must initiate a sort of purification drive and take the party closer to the dalits, poor and proletariat, which have been any space in the political system of the country. The BJP may use them as the vote bank, but would never figure as the ideological forerunner. Congress leadership must use the situation to provide a new ideological orientation to the party. If somehow BJP succeeds in winning over these people on the plea of their being Hindus, the Congress will get a big setback in its political fortunes. The threat looms large. This has become more imperative with some other political parties sitting on the bench and watching the game.
Rahul must not nurse the notion that the old support base consisting of upper caste could be revived. It must look at the middle class. A large chunk of them are the andha Bhaktas. Obviously it makes clear that the upper caste people have completely identified with the BJP. In some places depending on the local factors they may support the local Congress candidate. But they will not make a turn back. Congress must explore new support base and it could be dalit, EBCs and proletariat. Congress must reorient and adopt a centre- left approach and stance, diagonally opposed to the rightist forces. The Congress has to demarcate itself fully from the RSS position on Hindutva at every level as has been the campaign plank of Rahul Gandhi so long.
Since the entire strategy has been worked out by the RSS and its chief Mohan Bhagwat, who claims to represent the Sanatan Hindutva, the Congress leadership must confront Bhagwat and seek a clarification whether Shankaracharyas are anti-Sanatan Dharma. If they are, in that case whether the RSS leadership would force them to quit as the highest authorities of Hindu Dharna. The RSS should depute its own cadres as the “new” Shankaracharyas in New India. If the RSS can push away the Nirmohi Akhara, which performed the rituals for Ram Lalla for decades and appoint its own brand of priests from Dalits, simply with the dubious intention to send the message among them that they are Hindus, that too for electoral gains keeping in mind the 2024 LS election, they can certainly take the egregious step to employ their own cadres as Shankaracharya.
The RSS cannot dare to confront the Shankaracharyas as it would put the saffron system in a precarious situation and threaten its very existence, it would resort to the strategy of using political power to brand Congress as “anti-Hindu”. Under the watchful eyes and guidance of Narendra Modi the entire BJP leadership has learnt the art of telling lies obviously accusing the Congress of having pro-Muslim mindset and flagging a letter that India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote rejecting an invitation to the inaugural ceremony of the refurbished Somnath temple in Gujarat.
Nehru had adopted an ethical stance, underlining the need for the State to keep its distance from religion. But the political tenet has undergone a significant change under the premiership of Modi who is new face of Hindutva in New India. People are surprised at the insistence of Modi on consecration of the temple on January 22, even at the risk of alienating the Hindu Dharam Gurus. In fact there is no reason for getting amazed at the doggedness of Modi. He suffers with the sense of complex and obviously prefers to project himself as the individual above the combined all.
The Shankarachryas have no respect in the eyes of the RSS is explicit from the disgraceful observation of Champat Rai, VHP leader and general secretary of the temple trust that the temple belonged to the Ramanand sect and not the sanyasis or the Shaiva sect. It obviously implied that Shankaracharyas were unwanted. Shankaracharya Nischalanand Saraswati of Puri has responded to this, saying: “If the temple belongs to the Ramanand sect, what are Champat Rai and others doing there? Let them hand it over to the Ramanand sect.”
The vitriolic campaign against Nehru and Congress makes it candid that this is not the end of the game. Many more are waiting in the wings. Some BJP leaders who are not aware of the real implication of Gandhi’s concept of Ram Rajya are trying to debase Congress misusing this. Mahatma’s perception of religion was entirely different from the Sangh Parivar’s. He believed in the plurality of religions and abhorred any concept of the superiority of some races or religions. RSS belief is just opposite to Gandhi’s perception.
With the threat of smearing the Congress image looming large, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge must immediately embark on the path of clearing the mess in the party and reaching out to the people and laid bare the ignominious plan of RSS before the people. This will encourage the ground level leaders and cadres to take on the saffron volunteers at their end. Kerala Congress leader V D Satheesan was absolutely correct in saying: “Lord Ram is not aligned with the BJP; instead, he stands in the corridor of Birla House where the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, fell down dead while whispering ‘Hey Ram’ after being shot”. (IPA Service)
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