Saddam Hussein
The allure of power is so great and so powerful that those who are engaged in the game become ruthless when it comes to possessing that power, and then keeping it for whatever time limit that they prescribe for themselves. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Modi’s regime is on the similar road, to self-consuming eccentricity, that has totally eclipsed the essence of the human spirit.
On December 06, 1992, a mob of Hindu extremists, belonging to Vishva Hindu Parishad – an Indian right-wing Hindu militant organization based on the ideology of Hindu nationalism, and supporters of BJP smashed down the sixteenth-century Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. Fast forwarding to November 09, 2019, the Indian Supreme Court ordered the abandoned land of Babri Mosque to be handed over to a trust, to build the Hindu Ram temple. In a so-called gesture of “compensation”, it also ordered the government to give five acres of land inside Ayodhya to the Sunni Waqf Board to build a mosque. Now the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP was behind both the 1992 and the 2019 episodes is beyond any doubt.
The same Machiavellian mind changed the future of Kashmir. The valley is a divided state between India and Pakistan. In contrast to Babri Mosque, Kashmir falls partly into India’s and Pakistan’s domestic policy and partly into their foreign policies. It is the only Muslim majority state of India. On August 05, 2019, a presidential decree revoked Article 370 and 35 A of India’s constitution that guaranteed special rights to the state of Kashmir and its residents. Amidst police brutality against the protesting Muslims, Kashmir was swallowed by Hindutva expansionism philosophy.
In a bigger picture, India visualizes a hegemonic and expansionist role in South Asia. It’s fascist Hindutva ideology and its ethno-nationalist agenda extends to all its neighboring domains. Junagadh, Hyderabad, Manipur, Tripura, South Tibet, Goa, Kalapani of Nepal, Sikkim and Kashmir are some of the chapters of Indian expansionism, since 1947 – the year it got independence from the British Raj. Additionally, New Delhi has a long history of breaching its bilateral agreements as well, not just with Islamabad and Jammu and Kashmir but lately with Kathmandu as well – when it included Kalapani area within its own geography, irrespective of its understanding with Nepal.
Furthermore, minority issues are swiftly captivating the country, whether in the form of demands for enlarged political representation, calls to safeguard India’s many religions and cultures or in the shape of rebellions and secession movements. Indian government, nevertheless, appears content to continue with the status quo, because this division favors the interests of the country’s political hardcore Hindutva elites. Subsequently, these elites and their interests make the state a party to the marginalization of minorities. Previously, the ruling BJP seemed to follow a soft Hindutva philosophy, but now the red line has been crossed and one can witness a shift towards hardcore or extremist Hindutva approach in attaining its objectives.
What is more alarming is that Modi’s government is employing whole of the state machinery as a propaganda instrument against Muslims in India in general and Jammu and Kashmir in particular. Indian Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya dispute in favor of Hindus has further pressurized the already cornered Muslim community. While inflicting Jammu and Kashmir with crippling communication clampdown, since August 05, 2019, and journalists protesting for their right to speech and free journalism, Indian media, in contrast, has turned into a war-journalism mode. It has become skilled at presenting prejudiced reports and dispersing fake news.
According to a report by European Union Disinfo Lab, over 265 fake local news sites in more than 65 countries are managed by an Indian influenced network. All these evidences reflect the institutional nexus between mainstream media groups and extremist Hindu groups ruling India. There are also strong evidences that mainstream channels are paid huge amounts to promote jingoism against the communal minorities and fake normalcy in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
It is pertinent to note that Hindu fundamentalism is not a new phenomenon. It has taken diverse shapes within India’s sociopolitical structure. Such beliefs define the state as a land of Hindus, with all other communities as outsiders having no right to enjoy citizenship. Under this framework, Hindus are the only indigenous people of India and form a solitary national group. By the same token, a person is considered a Hindu only if he or she has faith in India as a holy land. To spread this narrative, attempts have been made to prejudice young minds, Hinduize the native culture/heritage, twist history, abolish the holy places of Muslims and Christians, and rename cities founded by Muslim rulers. Engineering communal riots has been an essential part of this philosophy and operational strategy. Persecution serves several objectives, including preventing missionary activity, seizing land and property from Muslims, and purging Muslims, Christians and Sikhs out of particular domains.
The extremist Hindu narrative had something of a rebirth in 1980, when the BJP was launched as a political face of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organization that is widely regarded as the parent organization of the ruling party of India, the BJP. Since then, the BJP, along with extremist outfits, spearheaded a hyperactive communal campaign against minorities. Anti-Pakistan and anti-minority propaganda were their main tools to strengthen both the BJP’s image and vote bank.
Interestingly, India wishes to become a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council with this record of acting as a ruthless and irrational policeman in the region, but unfortunately, some countries, who could have a say in world affairs, have no problem with what, as far as their interest converge. Modi’s recent trip to US beckoned another shift for the Asian region that firmly places India as the close security and economic partner of Washington. This, obviously, will change the dynamics of how things will unfold within the region in near future.
In a crux, Hindutva ideology, its craftsmen and proponents are unleashing a new wave of horror and brutality in Kashmir valley and across India as well, against minorities; the world is watching in silence with the exception of few sane voices. Though, those need to speak up whose voices matter – US in particular and West in general. Else, the world would witness another Holocaust, but this time, in India.
The author Saddam Hussein is a Research Fellow at Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), and Program Officer for CRSS’ sister organization – Afghan Studies Center, Islamabad. He tweets @saddampide.
