I had been refraining from commenting on the BJP’s political ideology and its recent victory in the Indian general elections because; basically it is none of a Naga’s business. But while that fact is true, it is also undeniably true that all Nagas will also be affected by the BJP Government and its policies because through the 16th Point Agreement, we have been compelled to join the Indian Government for the time being. So allow me a few comments on the BJP’s political ideology and agenda.
The Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) which in English would mean,The Indian People’s Party, is a Hindu political party of post independence India. It has its roots in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh of 1951and became BJP in 1980. Like the BJS, the BJP is also considered to be the political wing of the Rastriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) which was formed in 1925. The RSS has in turn, its roots in the Arya Samaj of 1857. The RSS is a paramilitary volunteer Hindu nationalist organization with its militant wing called the Bajarang Dal. Both the BJP and the RSS subscribes to the Hindu cultural political ideology of Hindutva. Hindutva in English would mean“Hindu-ness,” and the goal of Hindutva is to create a Hindu nation in the form of Hindustan. As for the BJP’s political policies, the key issues are (1). The abrogation of the special constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution,(2). The building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and (3). The implementation of a uniform civil code for all Indians based on Hindutva principles.
The BJP advocates the Hindutva ideology that seeks to define Indian culture in terms of Hindu values and Hindu culture. The ideology at its essential core, had borrowed a lot of ideas from Mussolini’s Fascism and Hitler’s Nazism. For example, both Nazism and Hindutva believe in the supremacy and racial purity of the Aryan race. Both are driven by Nietzsche’s atheistic, evolution based, philosophy of “The will to power” and the survival of the fittest. The BJP Hindutva ideology is opposed to the secular policies and practices of the Indian National Congress. It advocates Hindu cultural nationalism. According to Hindutva writers like Savarkar and Golwalkar, other minority groups like Christians and Muslims are all foreigners in India’s Hindustan. Golwalkar in his book “We, or Our Nationhood Defined”, wrote:
“The foreign races in Hindustan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no ideas but those of glorification of the Hindu race and culture… or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment- not even citizen rights.” (Source: “India: The Grand Experiment” by Vishal Mangalwadi p.285)
Modi is called the workaholic Chief Minister of Gujarat who is alleged to be married to the BJP ideology of Hindutva. Hindutva, as already explained, is “Hindu-ness” or the Hindunisztion of India through a common Hindu religion based civil code. Politically, what they imply is that, if a Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist or Christian wants to be a citizen of India, they must add the Hindu tag along with their religion as “Hindu Muslim Indian” or “Hindu Buddhist Indian” etc. In their election speeches, The BJP had hinted that Bangladeshi Muslims should be deported and article 370 should be removed from the Constitution of India. (This Article 370 is there to safeguard the Muslims of Kashmir from possible religious persecutions). Faroog Abdullah had therefore stated that if this article is removed, Kashmir will join Pakistan. Mamata Banerjee on the other hand retorted that she should be the first Bengali to be deported back to Bangladesh! For Nagas too, please remember that article 371 (A) comes right after 370 and gives special protection to Naga Christians. Article 371(A)(a) (i) states that without the consent of the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland, no Acts of Parliament will be applicable to Nagas as far as “Religious or social practices of the Nagas” are concerned.
Now if some drastic changes in the Constitution are brought about under BJP rule, Punjab, like Kashmir, may join the Faroog Abdullah exit train. This is because Sikhism, though an offshoot of Hinduism, is a religion that rebelled against Hinduism. Sikhs have also still not forgotten the desecration of their Golden temple at Amritsar or the post Indira Gandhi assassination killing of their community members in 1984. Hyderabad which is also a Muslim state that was formerly annexed to India through force may follow next. This could be followed by the whole of Southern India who are racially Dravidians and hate North Indians who try to impose their Aryans supremacy notions on them.
I am not an advocate for India’s disintegration, but if the BJP commits some blunders with their Hindutva ideology, then we could witness the disintegration of India right in front of our own eyes in our generation!
It is true that 80.5 % of India’s population is Hindu, with Muslims having only 13% and Christians, 2.3%. Therefore, the Hindu majority of India could quite well impose their Hindutva policies upon the other minority races and religions. However, one hopes that Hindu historians and intellectuals will admit that Christians have also been in India right from the 1st century AD. Muslims on the other hand, have ruled India from 1526-1761 (more than 3 centuries). The Muslim conquest if India by the descendents of Genjis Khan began from 1000 AD through Mahmud of Ghazni. Such historical facts cannot be just wished away as mere fiction or Muslim imagination. But if Modi and the BJP try to impose their Hindu cultural rule over the rest of India’s ethnic races, India could implode from within. We also must remember that Muslim religious fanaticism would be much more dangerous than Hindu extremism if the two should come to a physical confrontation.
Way back in 1992, right after the demolition of the Ram Temple at Ayodya on December 6, Mr. Ashok Singhal the then President of the Vishnu Hindu Parishad had claimed: “The events of this day have demonstrated that the will of the people is above the rule of Law.” What he seemed to be advocating was the rule of “mobocracy” rather than democracy. One hopes that Modi and the BJP will not follow in Singhal’s footsteps.
In conclusion, though I am a Naga and not an Indian, I still wish Modi all the best. Modi is a hard working, well disciplined and uncorrupt Indian politician. Hence, we might see some sudden growth in Indian economy and also some measure of eradicating corruption. But let us wait and see what happens next.
