August 5th and Political and Cultural Transformation in India
Mizoram BJP leaders 'challenged' MNF of Zoramthanga to quit NDA
New Delhi
Communists are hated in states such as Nagaland because of anti-religious tag, but are they real custodians of secularism in Indian polity? Is the rise of BJP linked to gradual weakening of the Left parties ?
The 5th of August in linked to two important anniversaries for India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two events are not mere sociopolitical developments. For a pro-Hindutva and pro-nationalist BJP, the day is linked to "symbols of the latent but strong cultural transformation".
This year's August 5th marks the fourth anniversary of the constitutional amendment the Modi government undertook in 2019 and abrogated the Article 370. It allegedly "took away" the functional autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state.
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| Modi with RSS chief and others performing rituals for Ram temple |
The move to abrogate the Article is now being debated in the Supreme Court. There are occasional statements that Article 371-- various clauses applied to Nagaland and other northeastern states -- also ought to be debated.
In 2020, the same Aug 5th, Modi fulfilled the second 'mega BJP promise' and laid the foundation stone for a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya on a plot of land where once stood the Babri mosque.
In the words of a social analyst Ramakanto Sanyal; "We may not see major upheaval or social destabilization. But in the name of anti-elitism what we have got is anti-liberalism....There is a rise of an unapologetic middle class Hindu no longer shy that he does not know English language or table manners in a five star hotel".
“The new generation think communal.... They would like to know even if the barber is a Muslim or a Hindu. People are cautious that Muslim women should not be employed as house maids," says a Guwahati-based office goer.
The Guwahati man explains that the bureaucracy under Jawaharlal Nehru or even Rajiv Gandhi, generally believed to “think in English”.
This is no longer the case. In Tripura, once a left-wing bastion, the BJP is in power today. It won two consecutive polls. In West Bengal, not a single communist legislator or parliamentarian has been elected since 2019.
In states like Mizoram, state BJP leaders do not mind challenging MNF of chief minister Zoramthanga to quit NDA. In fact, they sense a confidence to say so !
In PMO and in key states such as UP, there are top officials who have not been to Catholic schools. They also think 'provisional'. This is new India. Minority community officers in these states do not complain.
Others say that the diminishing communist influence in Indian politics could have led to the rise of 'Hindu fundamentalism'.
In 2021, anchors in popular English and Hindi news channels even castigated leftist leaders for attending a webinar organized by the Chinese embassy to mark 100 years of the Communist Party of China.
Prime Minister Modi and his BJP have legitimized the Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan political metaphor to such an extent that even an ex-Congressman Himanta Biswa Sarma, after becoming 'BJP chief minister' of Assam, announced restrictions on cow slaughter and cattle movement.
Sarma perhaps wants to prove himself a 'more Hindu' than those originally from the pro-Hindu BJP. And Sarma has friends and admirers in a host of Christian and Naga leaders. This is called 'acceptance' of power.
The Left parties have weakened in states and they also failed to win seats in parliament polls.
In the 2019 general elections, the CPI-M could gain only 1.7 percent of polled votes and just three seats in the 543-seat house. In the previous election in 2014, they had nine seats, and in 2009 -- 16 seats.
In 2004, there were over 50 Left MPs in Lok Sabha.
What does this gradual weakening of Indian communist forces indicate? One straight takeaway could be the decline of 'secular ideology' in the country.
Observers say, the communists could be anti-religion, but they have long been the real custodians of a secular polity where nearly 80 percent of its 1.3 billion people are Hindus.
In several parts of India, the weakening of communists signals more opportunities for the rise of Hindu nationalism, something that may leave religious minorities, Muslims and Christians little worried.
The Congress has not bounced back in states like Uttar Pradesh and most regional parties including Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress or even YSRCP (founded by another ex-Congress leader and Andhra CM) have either done business with the BJP in the past or can do so in future.
Can strong communism only counter BJP?
Modi leaps India to become 'unapologetically' Nationalist and perhaps pro-Hindu !!
The 5th of August in linked to two important anniversaries for India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two events are not mere sociopolitical developments. For a pro-Hindutva and pro-nationalist BJP, the day is linked to "symbols of the latent but strong cultural transformation".
This year's August 5th marks the fourth anniversary of the constitutional amendment the Narendra Modi government undertook in 2019 and abrogated the Article 370. It allegedly "took away" the functional autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state.
The move to abrogate the Article is now being debated in the Supreme Court. In 2020, the same Aug 5th, Modi fulfilled the second 'mega BJP promise' and laid the foundation stone for a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya on a plot of land where once stood the Babri mosque.
Narendra Modi's detractors say the fact of the matter is India has undergone a few radical changes ever since he became prime minister in 2014. But things at this scale do not happen just by the push of a single man.
Sources say the Burhan Wani episode of July 2016 was a turning point and thus a three-year plan was launched and its stage-wise execution was being monitored at the highest level. Hence when the time came in on August 5, 2019, the abrogation was smooth.
Both with regard to Art 370 and ensuring the grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, the real impact has been 'social transformation' in India.
Perhaps, it is not understood, the country now has a new elite who are basically provincial, pro-Hindu and even pro-Hindi. They detest English and perhaps even Catholic schooling.
In the words of a social analyst Ramakanto Sanyal; "We may not see major upheaval or social destabilization. But in the name of anti-elitism what we have got is anti-liberalism....There is a rise of an unapologetic middle class Hindu no longer shy that he does not know English language or table manners in a five star hotel".
“The new generation think communal.... They would like to know even if the barber is a Muslim or a Hindu. People are cautious that Muslim women should not be employed as house maids," says a Guwahati-based office goer. The Guwahati man explains that the bureaucracy under Jawaharlal Nehru or even Rajiv Gandhi, generally believed to “think in English”.
This is no longer the case. In Tripura, once a left-wing bastion, the BJP is in power today. It won two consecutive polls. In West Bengal, not a single communist legislator or parliamentarian has been elected since 2019. In states like Mizoram, state BJP leaders do not mind challenging MNF of chief minister Zoramthanga to quit NDA. This is new India.
PM Modi also has made it clear that to Jammu and Kashmir and also northeastern states, his ministers and elected leaders should visit 'more than frequently'.
Hence, data reveals that between 2014 and 2019 (when Art 370 was abrogated); over 150 Union Ministerial visits and over 18 Prime Ministerial visits took place.
Even in northeast, multiple level meetings are organised at various stakeholders levels. Thus, union ministers have also visited hubs like Kiphire in Nagaland. The BJP leadership believes these attempts have left positive impact everywhere.
Others agree that the diminishing communist influence in Indian politics could have led to the rise of fundamentalism.
In 2021, anchors in popular English and Hindi news channels even castigated leftist leaders for attending a webinar organized by the Chinese embassy to mark 100 years of the Communist Party of China.
Prime Minister Modi and his BJP have legitimized the Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan political metaphor to such an extent that even a seasoned politician like Himanta Biswa Sarma, after becoming chief minister of Assam recently, announced restrictions on cow slaughter and cattle movement.
Sarma, a former Congressman, perhaps wants to prove himself 'more Hindu' than those originally from the pro-Hindu BJP. And Sarma has friends and admirers in a host of Christian and Naga leaders. This is called 'acceptance' of power.
This is what happens when the US offers different faces. In 2005, Modi was denied Visa; and in 2014 Barack Obama received Modi with a Gujarati salutation 'Kem chho'.
There is another version and its relates to dwindling influence of the communists.
The Left parties have weakened in states and they also failed to win seats in parliament polls. In the 2019 general election, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) could gain only 1.7 percent of polled votes and just three seats in the 543-seat house. In the previous election in 2014, they had nine seats, and in 2009 16 seats.
What does this gradual weakening of Indian communist forces indicate? One straight takeaway is the decline of 'secular ideology' in the country.
The communists could be anti-religion, but they have long been the real custodians of a secular polity where nearly 80 percent of its 1.3 billion people are Hindus.
The electoral data in the last 15-17 years — of the three national elections and numerous state elections — clearly shows not only the weakening of communists but also the rise of the BJP, particularly in states like West Bengal and Tripura.
The same trend was also visible in Kerala.
In other words, the weakening of communists signals more opportunities for the rise of Hindu nationalism, something that may leave religious minorities, Muslims and Christians nervous and worried.
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