Rakesh Sinha By

I recently read a post on Facebook by an editor of a Hindi daily venting displeasure against the Communist parties for not taking the initiative to organise intellectuals against the BJP and Narendra Modi. This is astounding, as the thin line between the editors of party mouthpieces like CPI(M)’s People’s Democracy, CPI’s New Age and RSS’ Organiser on the one hand and independent ones has finally been eroded. It is, however, also a relief as those masquerading as ‘independent’ and ‘objective’ intellectuals have exposed themselves. Democracy undoubtedly empowers everyone to express themselves freely without fear. But these worthies stand for the suppression of alternate ideas and also the legitimate space for debate. Therefore, in the larger public interest, we ought to know who they are.

During Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, the country witnessed strong polarisation among intellectuals. A minority opposed her while the majority supported her. K R Malkani, then editor of Organiser was arrested, but the Left camp was untouched. Then too, JP was dubbed ‘fascist’ and the fig-leaf of fascism was used to defame the mass movement. The 2014 elections is witnessing a replay. The majority of Left-Nehruvians is whipping UPA fear psychosis using the label of fascism against BJP and Modi. Interestingly, the concoction of an imaginary enemy in their analogy is eerily similar. Some 25 ‘intellectuals’ had their tirade published in the UK’s Guardian; another motley dozen met at the Press Club of India on April 7 to spew venom against RSS and Modi, including people like Anantamurthy.

Don’t the likes of Murthy see changes taking place through democracy, by organised political parties? Aren’t they intolerant of the democratic process and the wisdom of voters? These are the people who subscribe to semi-ideological fascism and, pampered by the state, are accustomed to dictate. Whenever any view contesting their idea emerges, their only response is a road show. Two recent instances stand out. After the Allahabad High court’s verdict on the Ramjanmbhoomi issue on September 30, 2010, after extensive hearings, 61 of them issued a statement on October 3 decrying the judgment as ‘legitimising violence’ and fascism. It stretches anyone’s credulity that these ‘intellectuals’ read thousands of pages of evidence in two days.

When the nation celebrated its nuclear tests (Pokharan-I and II) and shrugged off the onslaught by the US-led Western powers, the Left-Nehruvian cabal used media space, particularly Western, to condemn RSS-BJP for ‘jingoism’, which was music to their Pakistani and Chinese siblings. Western neo-liberals (pro-crony capitalists) see potential allies in Indian Left-socialist ‘intellectuals’. Both share many similarities. The West mollycoddles sub-nationalities in India; so does this Left-Nehruvian club. Both try to reinforce identity politics in India.

Aren’t the West and its Indian minions, who are so shrill about the emergence of fascism in India in the 2014 elections, aware that these elections are not the first and last, nor are the parties contesting it new to Indian voters? While the Congress is 129 years old, the BJP, whose lineage with RSS is undeniable, has a history of 89 years. It has been in the government at both Centre and states.

The resurgence of the BJP is also not unanticipated, since the decline of the Congress was all too obvious. The ‘intellectual’ crowd was expectant of a non-Congress government led by BJP but desired a weak regime manned by smaller parties of the Congress-socialist breed on the one hand and a PM of the Gowda-Gujral-Manmohan type. Unable to stomach their collapsing hegemony, they’re back to repeating the old abuse of ‘fascism’ against the RSS and Modi. People’s wisdom though always trumps the bookish dogmas of hypocrites.

Sinha is Hony. Director of India Policy Foundation

rakeshsinha46@gmail.com