Spectre of communalism has many faces
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New Delhi: When the United Progressive Government came to power in 2004 defeating the National Democratic Alliance led by a party known for its anti-minority views, many had thought that there would now be a reprieve from communal violence and that secular fabric of the country would not be further torn apart.
All these hopes were soon dashed. There may not have been spectacular occurrences of violence since the last general elections in 2004, but minorities are facing small-scale physical violence, socio-economic and educational boycotts on daily basis. Add to this, the denial of access to justice and the control and supremacy of the majority community is almost complete. The hate propaganda goes uninterrupted and ideology of majority communalism surges forward. It has deepened its influence in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, making considerable headways in Kerala, Goa and West Bengal – the states known to be fervently secular. Just as we do not get to know of the extent of poverty in India while reading or watching mainstream newspapers and news channels, it is hard to fathom the pervasiveness of communal hate propaganda that goes on day in and day out by relying on them for information. Media only reports instances of communalism when it assumes spectacular dimension or when it is decisive in determining electoral fortunes, but when the violence is more insidious it chooses to ignore and thus allows it to go unnoticed, said Professor Tanika Sarkar during the release of a report in New Delhi recently: Rise of Fascism in India. Testimonies of brutality The report is a compilation of testimonies of victims of communal violence given during Independent People’s Tribunal (IPT) held in March 2007, in which over 300 victims and activists from 17 states related their experiences of communalism to a jury of eminent personalities drawn from members of judiciary, academics, journalists and activists. Speaking on the occasion, Professor K.N. Panikkar, former Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University outlined some of the most disturbing factors of communalism in India today. He felt that in the last few decades communalism is manifesting itself through intensified brutality. Another disturbing factor, according to him, is that the state institutions are increasingly becoming communalised. Citing examples of this dehumanisation during Gujarat riots, he said: “To slit open the womb of a pregnant woman and throw the foetus in the fire was unprecedented in the annals of communal violence.” Explaining the reasons for the government not taking communal forces head on Prof Panikkar said: “This was because the UPA saw its victory in terms of power and not of ideology. There was a lurking fear that a confrontation with Hindutva forces might prove counter productive, as it might lead to the loss of electoral support of the Hindus.” Preparing foot soldiers With the co-option of marginalised groups like adivasis and dalits to serve its political interests, the social basis of Hindutva forces, which for many years had remained confined to urban upper and middle class Hindus, has clearly widened. They are serving as “foot soldiers” of its militancy, as was demonstrated during Gujarat riots in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people had died and many were displaced. The organisations like Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and the Ekal Vidhyalaya along with other outfits of Sangh Parivar are promoting a canonical and intolerant form of Hinduism and building the political institutions necessary to promote violence, felt several deponents during the tribunal. Several experts also testified that the Sangh Parivar, wherever and whenever in power, has tried to change textbooks to impart certain ideas and visions to construct a particular view of the Indian nation, poisoning the impressionable minds. The UPA government, which began its exercise in “detoxification” of textbooks, could not complete it because the government chose to adopt a neutral stance towards well entrenched communal forces in the administration. Instruments of hate propaganda The tribunal also felt that the pervasive communalisation of the Indian press is another disturbing trend. It felt that the native language press in many areas, particularly Gujarat and the Hindi belt often represent the interests of the Hindutva, by portraying Muslims as anti-national and fabricating or exaggerating instances of violence against Hindus. The tribunal was of the view that to understand communal violence it is crucial to shift the gaze from communal riot to the process by which communal violence is made routine. The spectre of communalism is preparing to assert itself with much more ferocity. The beast is also capable of changing guises. It may wear different masks – development, regionalism, Ram Sethu. It has not run out of choices yet. |
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