Arun Shourie & Co.

Arun Shourie and others of Hindu right quote chapter and verse from mughals sources in order to propagate the alleged atrocities perpetrated by its rulers on common Hindus, during their subjugating campaign and also on victory. The Hindu right ignores the atrocities committed the Rigvedic Indra and other gods on Asuras, Dasyus and Dasasas described the Vedic suktas. In the later case, the interpretation is something spiritual saying that those fights were between good and evil and has nothing in the way of physical extermination of people by Indra. There can be some kind of spiritual explanations to some mantras and suktas but not all mantras can be explained away. There are far too many mantras with only mundane and material meanings and explanations.

According to Hindutva spokespersons like Shourie in north and Parameswaran from Kerala, there is an unbroken tradition, which they claim to be Hindu times immemorial. Also according to them the Hindu civilization flowered from the time of creation and other known civilizations branched out later. The original is Hindu. In fact, they preach that it was Hindus who carried the civilization around the world at the first instant. The civilizations built up in the near east and Mediterranean basins prior to Judaism, Christianity are Hindu origin built with ideas and techniques barrowed from ancient Vedic India. One may go on propagating such fantastic histories and there will be people believing in those fantasies mostly in India and a few abroad as well. But there will be none among thinking minds who would accept them as history. If Hindu wants to propagate its own greatness, there will be other to emulate them in other countries denying the former.

Political scene in the country is lousy with the fact of the foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi being debated against her. The original source was Jayalalita the Amma of AIDMK at an earlier occasion. At that time, no one took note of it seriously. However, when the BJP and other Sangh Parivar took up the possibility of Sonia becoming India’s Prime Minister in the wake of the fall of BJP coalition at the centre, the matter was blown up. The idea that came through L.K.Advani has no meaning at all. Sonia is an Indian citizen under the provisions of the constitution of India elected to Parliament. She has a right to be in any position in our democracy. But it was not her Italian origin that was motive behind the campaign to denigrate Sonia. The BJP and the Parivar were whipping up a false national sentiment among sections of public out of fear of the Congress under Sonia will be able to assemble and perform better in the coming elections. They are projecting the fact of foreign birth by itself makes Sonia heading a government ipso-facto as foreign rule. If the question is that geographical factor of ones birth govern citizenship, and then a number of the members of the Parivar will be outsiders. L.K.Advani and many others in top leadership of BJP are not born in the present geographic borders of India. This might include the veteran CPM leader and Chief Minister of West Bengal who happened to be born in Bengla Desh. The Sangh Parivar never raised this question of geographical origin in any of their cases. They never questioned those holding high offices in governments. The only answer will be that they are members of the majority religion in undivided India. It all shows that for them the place of birth is not as important as the religion to which one is born. In fact the Sangh Parivar tried to project Christian origin of Sonia a little earlier and charged her as doing all things at the behest of Pope who would like to see India turned to Catholic. They also found a conspiracy in Sonia becoming the President of Indian National Congress. The anti-Christian violence is projected in the international media in her support. It was well understood fact that since BJP and other communal elements has no argument against a Congress upswing and hence irrelevant and fanatical issues were brought were brought forward. Also when it was found that there were some real chances of Congress taking over the government under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi the communal and other forces aligned, found it necessary to rake up an emotional and sentimental issues before the people and therefore took up the issue of foreign born against Sonia Gandhi. They also started saying that the constitution has to be amended, to prevent a citizen of India born in a foreign soil from holding seats of power. It is only a perverted mind to claim that people born in foreign land but citizens are to be barred from holding any office. It could more justifiable to bar all foreigners to become Indian citizen at any time of their life. There is only one more step to deny a position of authority to minorities. Such discriminations among Indian citizens are invitation to the ones who are trying to bring a Nazi type dictatorship based on religious nationalism. That day may not be far. The split in the Congress over Sonia Gandhi for her foreign origin or birth will buttress the BJP obscurantism in the coming elections. Sharad Pawar and his supporters in the congress will not only loss their battle but also their status as national party. The issue raised by Pawar & Co. was already articulated by BJP thus appropriating to their advantage. If patriotism is to be measured from the stand of cultural nationalism, then BJP is the one who will be in a position to succeed with it. Sangma and others has to be satisfied to be in the periphery. All the arguments advanced to assert the unique cultural heritage and prestige by Sharad Pawar, Sangma, Anwar and their supporters are nothing but those same basic tenets of the communalist forces represented by BJP and Parivar. The Parivar opposed and tried to scuttle the declaration of year 2000 as the year of Christ. They opposed and obstructed te celebration of 200 years of Tipu Sultan at Mysore. Upto yester years they were propagating against mother Theresa. At each and every locality of the country the Sangh Parivar raised local separatist identities between religious communities, where such issues are readily available. If not they start manufacturing such history to their liking as it happened a few years back in the name of Haji Malang a memorial for a Sufi saint at a hillock in Kalyan.

Two recent developments have gone to buttress the stand of the Parivar and therefore favoring BJP. The first was the religious cultural identity of citizenship as against the foreign-born one such as Sonia Gandhi. A significant section in the Congress Party just aped those arguments to further their own narrow political ends. The second is the incursion of Pakistani trained terrorists cross the line of control in Kashmir. To whip up patriotism in the name of security and danger from foreign invasion. Now Sonia a foreign origin one.

K.N.Krishnan.

May 1999.