Ideology
In this vast game of democracy in India there are few major players who have presence in more than one state. The others are regional players with presence in one state only. Bhartiya Janata Party or BJP has to be the prime focus in this book. Long time ago, the BJP was treated with a kind of communal apartheid as it is even today called "Hindu Right Wing" Party. Who are these people? Did they arrive from distant land? It turned out that they are relatives of the other parties and always were. How come one member of family is "Communal Hindu" but another is a "Good Hindu" to borrow the phrase from Shashi TharoorclviiSee https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/no-good-hindu-would-want-temple-at-babri-site-shashi-tharoor/article25221738.ece , a Congress M.P.?
BJP was formed in 1980, technically, but has existed in principle for a long time. It's first incarnation was Bhartiya Jan Sangh which was founded by Syama Prasad Mukherjee who was son of Tiger of Bengal. The sun rises from the east and BJP's, political sun also rose from east. Let's meet the family of founders of Jan Sangh.
Tiger of Bengal
The Tiger of Bengal or Banglar Bagh was the popular title given to Asutosh Mukhopadhyay (anglicised as Mookerjee) who was first Indian student to pass double post graduation in mathematics in 1885 and natural sciences in 1886 respectively. He was prolific student who contributed various papers on complex mathematical problems which were praised by accomplished mathematicians. By 1988 Shri Mookerjee was appointed as Lecturer in Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS). He received his degree in law in 1888 and enrolled as a vakil of the Calcutta High Court. By 1897, he had received an LL.D. and was appointed the Tagore Professor of Law of the Calcutta University in that year. In 1904, he was appointed a puisne judge of the High Court, and subsequently served as its acting Chief Justice for a couple of years.
Shri Mukherjee was a polyglot learned in Pali, French and Russian apart from Bangla and English. Besides fellowships and memberships in several international academic bodies, he was recognised by an award of the titles of Saraswati and Shastravachaspati by the pandits of Bengal for his service to Indian education. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI) in June 1909, and knighted in December 1911. The Government of India issued a stamp in 1964 to commemorate Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee for his contribution to education. The epitaph beneath his marble bust at the Ashutosh Museum of Arts at the University of Calcutta reads:
"His noblest achievement, surest of them all/ A place for his mother tongue – in step mother'shall."
Shri Mukherjee married Jogamaya Devi in 1885. The couple had seven children . One of whom Shri Rama Prasad (1896-1983) became judge of High Court of Calcutta. His grand son and Shri Rama Prasad's son Chittatosh Mookerjee also became judge of Calcutta High Court and later Chief Justice of that court. He retired in 1991.
The uncle of Justice Chittatish Mookerjee and brother of Shri Rama Prasad was Shri Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The details of his family are given here for a reason. In many publicationsclviiiJawaharlal Nehru and India's Foreign Policy by Yuri Nasenko, (1977) Sterling Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi. of left leaning, it has been mentioned that Syama Prasad was from a bourgeoisie (capitalist) background. It is a plain lie.
Shri Syama Prasad was born in 1901 and graduated in English in 1921 in first class. He post graduated in Bengali language in 1923 and a bachelor of law in 1924. He was called to bar by Lincoln Inn in England in 1926 and thus became a barrister of law. In 1934 he became vice chancellor of Calcutta University. He was conferred D.Litt in 1938 by Calcutta University.clixRead complete biography: "Syama Prasad Mookerjee: Life and Times by Tathagata Roy"
Political career of Dr. Syama Prasad MukherjeeclxSee http://www.bjp.org/dr-syama-prasad-mookerjee started in 1929 as member of Congress Party in Bengal Lagislative Council. He resigned from Congress next year and was elected as independent member. In 1939 He joined Hindu Mahasabha and was appointed its President between 1941 to 1946. Dr. Mukherjee served as Finance Minister in 1941-42 in coalition government of Krishak Party and Muslim League only to resign protesting unfair attitude of British Government restricting his movement and repression of Quit India Movement. He was again elected as independent candidate in 1946.
Like many other politicians of his time, Dr. Mukherjee did not support Quit India Movement. However he was inducted in the Cabinet of first Government of India in 1947 as Minister of Industries as Gandhi insisted that the first Government of India must be inclusive. He resigned in April 1950, after the Constitution was adopted and India became a republic. The first Industrial Policy of India would be an interesting read to know about Dr. Mukherjee who advocated a mixed economy with categorisation of few industries to be reserved for State aka Public Sector.
Bhartiya Jan Sangh
Dr. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh on October 21, 1951, in Delhi and he was its first President. In the 1951-52 election, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh won 3 seats in Parliament including that of Dr. Mookerjee.
Jan Sangh and it's successor BJP ideologically follows the RSS which pride itself over the inheritance of the Oldest Continuing Civilisation of the world.
Dr. Mookerjee died in 1953 suspicious circumstances in Kashmir, while he was under arrest due to his protests (satyagraha) over visa like requirements to enter Kashmir. He aged only 53 at the time of his death.
Pandit Deendayal UpadhyayaclxiSee http://www.bjp.org/pandit-deendayal-upadhyaya was the other leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh from 1953 to 1968. He was author of a book called Integral Humanism is a critique of both communism and capitalism. He advocated a middle path in which there is neither State ownership of wealth nor personal accumulation. It is sad that he died in mysterious circumstances in 1968. BJP, as successor of Jan Sangh, claims to follow the principle of Integral Humanism which is also partly extracted on it's website.clxiihttp://www.bjp.org/about-the-party/philosophy It is sad that the two BJP Governments did absolutely nothing to promote further study of Integral Humanism in Universities or otherwise.
There is a Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation in Delhi and it also has its websiteclxiiihttp://www.spmrf.org/ but no writing of Dr. Mookerjee is available on this website. This web site has become another promotional site of Modi Government.
Bhartiya Jan Sangh was dissolved rather merged in the Janata Party which was formed in 1977 and all parties opposing Indira joined Janata Party and fought elections of 1977, together.
RSS
Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was a physician by profession and an active member of Congress Party of India in 1920. Dr. Hedgewar was also a member of Hindu Mahasabha. He founded Rashtrya Swayam Sevak Sangh, at Nagpur on 27th September, Vijayadashami Day of 1925, with the following object:
"The Hindu culture is the life-breath of Hindustan. It is therefore clear that if Hindustan is to be protected, we should first nourish the Hindu culture. If the Hindu culture perishes in Hindustan itself, and if the Hindu society ceases to exist, it will hardly be appropriate to refer to the mere geographical entity that remains as Hindustan. Mere geographical lumps do not make a nation. The entire society should be in such a vigilant and organized condition that no one would dare to cast an evil eye on any of our points of honour. …… Strength, it should be remembered, comes only through organization. It is therefore the duty of every Hindu to do his best to consolidate the Hindu society. The Sangh is just carrying out this supreme task. The present fate of the country cannot be changed unless lakhs of young men dedicate their entire lifetime for that cause. To mould the minds of our youth towards that end is the supreme aim of the Sangh."
RSS's website explains the above view in context of developments taken in last 93 years, since its formation, is under:
"Dr. Hedgewar said often, "Even if the British leave, unless the Hindus are organised as a powerful nation, where is the guarantee that we shall be able to protect our freedom?" His words have proved to be prophetic. Conjointly with Independence, parts of Punjab, Bengal, Sindh and the Frontier areas were sundered from Bharat; and, four and a half decades after the nation's attaining freedom, Kashmir remains a thorn in the flesh. …….Continuous efforts have been there to make Assam a Muslim majority province. Likewise, no-holds-barred efforts to proselytize by Christian missions continue unabated. Even armed revolt has been engineered (e.g., in Nagaland) to carve out independent Christian provinces. Such activities receive ready support and unlimited funds from foreign countries and agencies keenly interested in destabilizing Bharat for their own ends……. Sangh's alone has been the voice of genuine patriotic concern amidst the cacophonous, politically inspired shibboleths of undefined secularism, etc. …...Even at the inception, the Sangh was viewed by its founder not as a sectoral activity or movement, but as a dynamic power-house energizing every field of national activity."
After the death of Sh. Hedgewar, leadership of the group was assumed by Madhava Sadashiv Golwalkar and later by Madhhukar Dattatray Deoras. Presently Mohan Bhagwat is it's leader who is known by the title of Sir Sanchalak. According to the website of BJP, the RSS:
".. believes in the principle of: "Justice for all and appeasement of none". It has no doubt about Hindu identity and culture being the mainstay of the Indian nation and of Indian society. This identity and this culture informs all Indians, irrespective of religious or denominational faith. To the RSS, all Indians, irrespective of religious background, notwithstanding their mode and place of worship, are equal."
RSS is a ghost organisation. It is not registered under any law. It has no list of members, maintained anywhere. In fact all that RSS tells (through it's website) is that it holds about 30,000 "Shakha" (literally means branches) daily morning in Parks or open places which is joined by volunteers. The Shakha is explained as under:
"A saffron flag (called the Bhagawa Dhwaj) flutters in the midst of an open playground. Youths and boys of all ages engage in varieties of indigenous games. Uninhibited joy fills the air. There are exercises, Suryanamaskar, sometimes training in skilfully wielding the "Danda". All activities arc totally disciplined. The physical-fitness programmes are followed by group singing of patriotic songs. Also forming part of the routine is exposition and discussion of national events and problems. The day"s activity culminates in the participants" assembling in orderly rows in front of the flag at a single whistle of the group leader, and reverentially reciting the prayer "Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome" (My salutation to you, loving Motherland). The prayer verses, even as the group leader"s various commands are all in Samskrit. The prayer concludes with a heart-felt utterance of the inspiring incantation "Bharatmata Ki Jai"."
The Goal of RSS is to establish a Hindu nation, is explained as under:
"From its inception, the goal before the Sangh was to attain the "Param Vaibhav" (the pinnacle of glory) of the Hindu Rashtra, the freedom from the alien rule being just a step in that direction. The transfer of power can at the most be "Swaraj" (one"sown rule) but definitely not "Swatantrya" (actualisation of one"sown potential being). The concept of "Param Vaibhav" has ingrained in it the material progress too of the nation, hut not with its very identity and interests mortgaged.
The Sangh with its total commitment to the actualisation of "Swa", in other words the Hindu ethos, keeping itself away from the powers-that-be, from 1947 onwards, began on its own to extend its influence to varied fields of social life. The Sangh "Pratijna" (pledge), which until then was for the liberation of the Hindu Rashtra, was amended to indicate "Sarvangeena Unnati" (all-round development) of the nation. The entire gamut of social life was planned to be designed on the rock-bed of Hindu nationalism. The swayamsevaks with the insight and the organisational skill they acquired through the "samskars" on the "sanghasthan" and with the uncompromising urge for the national reassertion gradually began to enter one after another field of national life. The process commenced as early as in the end of forties, and has in these four decades encompassed a vast number of areas that the society is composed of."
However Shri Mohan Bhagwat in his public speeches have explained that the word Hindu include every citizen of India, irrespective of his faith. RSS also has a Muslim wing which is called Muslim Rashtriya Manch which was formed on the occasion of Eid, in Delhi on December 24, 2002 with following core issue:
"The core issue of discussion was naturally how to bridge the widening gap between Hindu and Muslim communities in India. Initiating the discussion Sudarshan said the world has seen only the violent of Islam. But it has the other face too-that of peace. Will there be any efforts to show this other face of Islam to the world?"clxivhttp://muslimrashtriyamanch.org/Encyc/2016/1/13/About-us.aspx
RSS has several dozen affiliate orgnisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Rashtra Sevika Samiti, an exclusively women"s organisation. It also has several "Service" associations like Vidya Bharti whose objective is as under:
"The educational system initiated by Macaulay with the motive of producing an army of "brown-skinned Englishmen", to serve the imperial administration as "the most obedient servants" was another legacy of the British rule in Bharat. After Independence, there was dire need to reshape the entire system. In 1952, the first "Saraswati Shishu Mandir" (nursery school) was founded in Ghorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, as an attempt towards inculcating, along with mandatory academic knowledge, discipline, patriotic outlook, love for mother tongue, high moral values and Hindu principles the thrust of education being based upon a holistic approach to the physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual growth of the pupil. The small sapling of this "Shishu Mandir" - which it was in fifties - has now grown into, a mighty banyan tree as "Vidya Bharati", an umbrella body for thousands of educational institutions, ranging from nursery to post-graduation level. The system of education being evolved by Vidya Bharati is based on age-old Hindu values, hut having an outer structure in consonance with present-day needs of modern education."
India has a vast population of Tribal or aboriginal tribes who are not practising any formal religion. These people are always prone to poaching by Christian missionaries who are converting them to become christians. In Indian ocean, there is an island called sentinel island, which is home to an indigenous tribe which is about 60,000 years old civilisation. Visiting this population is barred by laws of India. Yet an American missionary tried to convert them and was killed by this tribe with it's arrows and buried in sand.clxvSee https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7791812/us-missionary-shot-dead-arrows-remote-island-tribe-christianity/ It is surprising that the conversion army considers itself above the international or national laws in 2018 too.
A vast tribal population of North East India has become practising Christians in just past few decades. Conversion at this scale is a politics of a new kind. To tackle with this head on, RSS has formed a wing called Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (BVKA) with the following stated objective:
"The systematic alienation of the tribals, inhabiting remote forest areas, but who form an inseparable part of the Hindu society through proselytization was another grave challenge that demanded immediate corrective measures. Far away and hence uncontaminated by the sophisticated modernity, they are yet, though deprived of literacy, committed to their own rustic cultural moorings and also are very talented. They had all along been a most exploited lot and an easy prey for unscrupulous conversion by Christian missionaries. It is to counter this twin menace of British legacy, that the Bharateeya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (BKVA) was founded in early fifties. The BKVA, now spread over a hundred districts in 21 States, has been striving for the all-round development of the vanavasis, in their own natural surroundings, enabling all their latent potentialities and talents to blossom. Over the decades, the Ashram has succeeded not only in putting a stop to conversions in all its areas of operation, but also in bringing the converts back to the Hindu fold. ……………...the thrust of the Sangh and its methodology is not restricted to its outward institutional form only, but is multi-dimensional, extending beyond the boundaries of "sanghasthan" . The aim is to activise the dormant Hindu society, to make it come out of its self-oblivion and realise its past mistakes, to instill in it a firm determination to set them right, and finally to make it bestir itself to reassert its honour and self-respect so that no power on earth dares challenge it in the days to come."
Apart from above RSS volunteers have frequently come forward to help general public in problems like natural calamities such as flood in Kerala in 2018.
But why is it a ghost? The reason lies in history. The RSS was banned twice in 1933 and 1947, during British rule, and then thrice by the post-independence Indian government – first in 1948 when a former RSS member Nathu Ram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi; then during the emergency (1975–77); and for a third time after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
RSS, did not involve in Quit India Movement of Gandhi, like many others. It is criticised for many of it's views in the past which criticised or differed Gandhi or his views. RSS has a world view of economics which is described as under:
"Obsession with West-originated theories has resulted in blinkered vision in major knowledge-areas like history, science, technology, economies, administration, etc. Thus, mainstream economics as taught and practiced today is blissfully unaware of the fact that such nuances as real commodity prices were comprehensively dealt with by Shukracharya, Kautilya and other sages. The materialist approach, blindly copied from the West, has led the country downhill. While Independent Bharat started with a balance of Rs. 18,000 crores, the Bharat of 1992 is in debt to the tune of Rs. 4,00,000 crores. The so-called "industrial Revolution", supposed to have led to the prosperity of the West, was made possible from the post-Plassey loot from Bharat. With no such plundered capital, Bharat obviously could not reach the heights of material progress scaled in the West. This externally induced impoverishment has been used by the West to make Bharat a debtor country. However, what should cause greater concern is the culturally induced poverty in the psyche of the people through endlessly repeating "you are poor", "you are backward", and 'you are primitive".
The need is to recreate the self-confidence of the people of Bharat. Not so long ago, Bharat produced such superior yarn that Britain had to ban the sale of textiles from Bharat. Likewise, Bharat produced the best steel in the world costing as little as Rs. 50 per tonne, while the "advanced" West produced inferior steel at Rs. 250 per tonne.
That the indigenous science and technology of Bharat were deliberately crushed by the West is undisputed. Curiously, the same colonialist intervention from the West continues even on the eve of the twenty first century, now in thc form of GATT, World Bank and IMF conditionality, "Structural Adjustment", "Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty", etc. While political independence was attained in 1947, a major and sustained struggle for economic independence appears warranted as we approach the Golden Jubilee Year of political emancipation of Bharat."
Interestingly the RSS view about British exploitation of India is similar to the view of Shashi Tharoor, a member of parliament from Thiruvananthapuram and a member of Congress Party.clxviAn Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor (2016) Aleph Book Company, New Delhi. As regards economics, Modi did something new which we will discuss in later chapters.
BJP
The BJP was formed in April 1980, under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee. Although the party welcomed members of the RSS, the BJP's effort to draw from the legacies of the Janata Party as well as that of the Jana Sangh were suggested by its new name, its choice of a green and saffron flag similar to that of the Janata Party rather than the solid saffron flag of the old Jana Sangh, its adoption of a decentralized organizational structure along the lines of the Janata Party rather than the more centralized model of the Jana Sangh, and its inclusion in its working committee of several non-Jana Sangh individuals, including Sikandar Bakht--a Muslim. The invocation of Gandhian socialism as one of the guiding principles of the BJP rather than the doctrine of "integral humanism" associated with the Jana Sangh was another indication of the impact of the party members' experience in the Janata Party and "J.P. movement."clxviiSee http://countrystudies.us/india/113.htm
The historic perspective of BJP has been summarised at it's official web siteclxviiihttp://www.bjp.org/en/about-the-party/history?u=bjp-history as under:
"History is the philosophy of nations. And the Sangh Parivar has a very clear and clear conception of Indian history. Here was a great civilization whose influence and imprint spread from Sri Lanka to Tibet, from Southeast Asia to Central Asia, from one end of the Indian Ocean to the other. It weathered the storms of invaders, from the Greeks to the Huns, from the Shakas to the Islamic armies of Turks and Afghans. It fought and resisted external oppression and its essential civilization and culture survived great challenges and attempts at effacement. The glory of Vijayanagara and the heroism of Maharana Pratap, of a Shivaji and of a Guru Govind Singh are testimony to the Indian spirit....In more recent times this torch of nationalism and Indian identity was carried forward by Swami Dayanand and Swami Vivekanada. And in the present century the good work has been carried on by Sri Aurobindo, Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and others."
Please note the interesting omission is the name of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel whose 182 meter tall statue called "Statue of Unity" was unveiled by the Prime Minister of India on October 31,2018 at Kevadia village in Gujarat, in presence of president of the Bhartiya Janata Party Shri Amit Shah. The extract is from web site. As on February 15, 2019 there is no change in it. Why not include it now?
So what is the history of India which forms the philosophy of India as per above quote of BJP?
BJP claims to follow the principle Integral Humanismclxixhttp://www.bjp.org/about-the-party/philosophy as originally propounded by Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay. He emphasised the need to find national solutions for the problems of India:
"….Every country has its own peculiar historical, social and economic situations and its leaders decide the remedies to the ills that beset the country from time to time, taking into consideration its background. It is illogical to believe that remedies which the leaders of one country decided to try for their problems are likely to be applicable as such to all other peoples. A simple illustration will suffice. Even though the basic organic activity is the same in all human beings, the drugs which may be helpful in England may not prove equally helpful in India. Diseases depend also upon climate, water, dietary habits and heredity. Even though the external symptoms may be apparently similar the same drug does not necessarily cure all persons. Those who apply a single panacea to all diseases must be considered quacks rather than doctors. Therefore Ayurveda states i.e. for the disease in each place remedy suitable to that place must be found. Therefore, it is neither possible nor wise to adopt foreign Isms in our country in the original form in toto. It will not be helpful in achieving happiness and prosperity….."
As regards human beings he explains it with rather scientific temper:
"….The first characteristic of Bharatiya culture is that it looks upon life as an integrated whole. It has an integrated view point. To think of parts may be proper for a specialist but it is not useful from the practical standpoint. The confusion in the West arises primarily from its tendency to think of life in sections and then to attempt to put them together by patch work. We do admit that there is diversity and plurality in life but we have always attempted to discover the unity behind them. This attempt is thoroughly scientific. The scientists always attempt to discover order in the apparent disorder in the universe, to find out the principles governing the universe and frame practical rules on the basis of these principles. Chemists discovered that a few elements comprise the entire physical world. Physicists went one step further and showed that even these elements consist only of energy. Today we know that the entire universe is only a form of energy..."
He also appreciated the diversity of Indian civilisation and deprecated the law of Jungle:
"….Unity in diversity and the expression of unity in various forms has remained the central thought of Bharatiya culture. If this truth is wholeheartedly accepted then there will not exist any cause for conflict among various powers. Conflict is not a sign of culture of nature: rather it is a symptom of their degradation. The law of the jungle, "Survival of the Fittest" which the West discovered in recent years was known to our philosophers. …… We have recognized desire, anger etc. among the six lower tendencies of human nature, but we did not use them as the foundation or the basis of civilized life or culture. There are thieves and robbers in the society. It is essential to save ourselves and the society from these elements. We cannot consider them as our ideals or standards for human behavior. Survival of the fittest is the law of the jungle. The civilizations have developed not on the basis of this law but by consideration of how the operation of this law will be the least in human life. If we wish to progress, we have to keep this history of civilization before our minds…..."
The law of Jungle was called by Kautilya or Acharya Chanakya as Matsaya Nyay or the Oceanic Justice in which larger fish swallows smaller fish. He too had emphasised in his master piece Arthsashtra that it is the duty of the State to prevent the application of Matsaya Nyay and ensure that contracts are enforced uniformally and the strong person does not take undue advantage of the less strong or the weak.
BJP, claims to follow Pt. Upadhyay who was highly critical of Capitalism and Communism both. According to him:
"…..Both these systems, capitalist as well as communist, have failed to take account of the Integral Man, his true and complete personality and his aspirations. One considers him a mere selfish being lingering after money, having only one law, the law of fierce competition, in essence the law of the jungle; whereas the other has viewed him as a feeble lifeless cog in the whole scheme of things, regulated by rigid rules, and incapable of any good unless directed. The centralization of power, economic and political, is implied in both. Both, therefore, result in dehumanization of man….
...Man the highest creation of God, is losing his own identity. We must re-establish him in his rightful position, being him the realization of his greatness, reawaken his abilities and encourage him to exert for attaining divine heights of his latest personality. This is possible only through a decentralized economy...
...We want neither capitalism nor socialism. We aim at the progress and happiness of "Man", the Integral Man. The protagonists of the two systems fight with 'Man' on the state. Both of them do not understand man, nor do they care for his interests. …."
He laid down following Objectives for the Economy of India:
1. An assurance of minimum standard of living to every individual and preparedness for the defense of the nation.
2. Further increase above this minimum standard of living whereby the individual and the nation acquires the means to contribute to the world progress on the basis of its own 'Chiti'.
3. To provide meaningful employment to every able bodies citizens by which the above two objectives can be realized and to avoid waste and extravagance in utilizing natural resources.
4. To develop suitable machines for Bharatiya conditions (Bharatiya Technology) taking note of the availability and nature of the various factors of production (Seven 'M's).
5. This system must help and not disregard the human being, the individual. It must protect the cultural and other values of life. This is requirement which cannot be violated except at a risk of great peril.
6. The ownership, state, private or any other form of various industries must be decided on a pragmatic and practical basis.
He was against centralization and monopolization of powers:
"…. "Swadeshi" and "Decentralization" are the two words which can briefly summarize the economic policy suitable for the present circumstances. Centralization and monopolization have been the order of the day for all these years, knowingly or unknowingly. The planners have become prisoners of a belief that only large-scale centralized industry is economic and hence without worrying about its ill-effects, or knowingly but helplessly, they have continued in that direction…."
It is claimed that BJP has a membership of 12 crore (120 million) members. Presently the BJP is in government in India. Whether it is following aforesaid principles or not is a matter of serious debate but presently no one is, debating these facts, in India. Is above ideology of BJP, communal? Let'snow compare it with Congress Party.
Congress Party
The idea of think tank to act as a feed back to the British Empire in India was mooted by an ex bureaucrat of the empire namely Allan Octavian Hume. As an administrator of Etawah District in Uttar Pradesh, he saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 as a result of misgovernance and he wanted to improve the lives of the common people.
Hume, alongwith 71 persons including lawyers and other retired bureaucrats, congregated for the first session of the Indian National Union at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay on 28 December 1885. Later this conference was renamed as the Indian National Congress. Its aim was to obtain a greater share in government for educated Indians, and to create a platform for civic and political dialogue between them and the British Raj.
The membership of Congress Party is presently assessed by Encyclopedia Britannica at 20-40 million. The object of Congress party as stated in it's Constitution and extracted on it's website are stated as:
"The object of the Indian National Congress is the well-being and advancement of the people of India and the establishment in India, by peaceful and constitutional means, of a Socialist State based on Parliamentary Democracy in which there is equality of opportunity and of political, economic and social rights and which aims at world peace and fellowship."clxxhttps://www.inc.in/en/our-values/object-of-the-indian-national-congress-article-i-inc-constitution
After completion of 15 years of governance, a New York Times correspondentclxxiPAUL GRIMES was South Asia staff correspondent for The New York Times since 1959, based in New Delhi. He travelled frequently throughout India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ceylon and Nepal, reporting on news developments in those countries. He also lived and worked in India, 1950-53, as information officer for the United States Information Service in Bombay. He is a graduate of Cornell University. summed up the socialism under Nehru as under:
"….Congress members, with a few exceptions, pay lip service to socialist ideals at the party's annual conventions. Most expressions of criticism are effectively stilled by a few words from the prime minister. But state governments have often been slow—sometimes deliberately, sometimes under heavy pressure from vested interests —to implement party programs. Many influential Congress politicians, including some in the cabinet, have made it clear that they personally dislike anything that smacks of socialism, although they would not defy Nehru openly….. So Congress is a catchall—a party that is based more on political expediency than philosophy. This is different from the days of the independence struggle, when it was a movement with one major goal—the peaceful ouster of British rule. Today, politicians of diverse views and objectives flock to Congress because they feel that it is safer to be on the side of Nehru, the idol of the Indian masses, than against him..."clxxiiIndia: 15 years of freedom by Paul Grimes, published by the Foreign Policy Association.
As regards the philosophy of Congress in this century, its website relies on following quote:
"In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non-violence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today."(Mahatma Gandhi during his Quit India speech, August 8, 1942)"
An interesting quote explaining as to why India has not reached that level of progress as other democratic countries:
"Today countries where democracy was born are all much wealthier than India, and skeptics might say that it is too soon for India to talk about social democracy. That misses the point. In country after country, where social democracy took root, it was once for them a dream for their tomorrow. It was built, brick by brick, over many generations, energized by economic growth. In turn, it stimulated and sustained economic growth – by opening up opportunities for human development, by building social cohesion and solidarity, and by providing the framework of an intellectual and political consensus. In those countries, social democracy not only proved to be good politics, it also turned out to be good economics. It brought the state, business and labour onto a common platform in pursuit of a shared vision – the vision of a more equal, more caring society." (Smt Sonia Gandhi during her address at the 10th Indira Gandhi Conference, 2010.)clxxiiihttps://www.inc.in/en/our-values
On nationalism the same website relies on following quotes:
"There is something unique in this soil, which despite many obstacles has always remained the abode of great souls." (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel)
"In this vast country of ours, people profess different religions, speak different languages, dress differently and observe different customs; but we are one nation; the history of our struggle for independence and our faith in our future development are our common bonds." ( Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri)
On socialism it states:
"We want everyone to march ahead together towards a new India. No one should be left behind or sidelined on account of caste, creed, religion or region and we are carrying forward the vision of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi of making India a modern nation based on social justice." (Smt Sonia Gandhi, Thiruvananthapuram, 30 September 2013)
On secularism it states:
"Secularism is the bedrock of our nationhood, secularism as defined not in the English dictionaries, where it is defined as 'non-religious' or 'anti-religious', but secularism the way Panditji defined it as Sarva Dharma Samabhava which allows every religion to flourish in our country. Every community, every caste, every linguistic group must be allowed freedom to flourish, prosper and develop, yet they must be woven into one India, to a unified India. ……… India is not just a mere geographic expression or a political entity. India dates back to thousands of years; the boundaries have changed, the politics have changed but still India has remained India. It is the thinking, it is the thought, it is an inner spirituality that makes India." (Shri Rajiv Gandhi's speech 'Uphold Secular Values' at the National Symposium on India' Struggle Against Communalism on October 9, 1986)clxxivhttps://www.inc.in/en/our-values/secularism
The Prime Minister Modi frequently uses a Hindi word "Antyodya" (it means sun rise for the last man standing in the que), actually it is a talisman given by Mahatma Gandhi and extracted at Congress party's website:
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away."clxxvhttps://www.inc.in/en/our-values/inclusive-growth
Continuing to explain the inclusive growth it's present President's speech is quoted as:
"We want more youth, women, Adivasis in Parliament and Assemblies. We want more youth to join politics to cleanse the system. We cannot achieve development without empowering the youth. Our country will surge ahead fast only if we have more youth and women as lawmakers."(Shri Rahul Gandhi during his speech in Gwalior, October 17, 2013)
As regards the leaders, the Congress Party is a unapologetically a dynastic party. The Motilal Nehru who provided the platform of Congress to Gandhi, saw to it that his son Jawaharlal is elected as President of the Congress in 1929clxxviSee https://m.timesofindia.com/india/Motilal-pushed-for-son-Jawahar-as-Congress-chief-in-letter-to-Bapu/articleshow/45141519.cms . After independence, Jawaharlal was selected as President of the Party and later the Prime Minister of India even though it was Sardar Patel who was voted for the job. The story of Nehru and his daughter Indira has been discussed in previous chapters.
Presently great grand son of Jawaharlal Nehru namely Rahul Gandhi is president of Congress Party of India. Last year he hugged Prime Minister in Parliament and then winked.clxxviiSee https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/a-hug-and-a-wink-part-of-rahul-gandhis-friday-show/articleshow/65077401.cms This year he was given a kiss on the cheek by a woman in Valsad, Gujarat.clxxviiiSee http://www.saamana.com/a-woman-kisses-congress-president-rahul-gandhi-during-a-rally-in-valsad/
Earlier his mother Sonia Gandhi recently visited Russia, raising doubts about the purpose of visit.clxxixSee https://www.opindia.com/2018/09/this-theory-about-sonia-gandhis-russia-visits-and-rafale-controversy-is-catching-attention-on-twitter/ It is a matter of record that she traces the relations with Russia back to the time of Moti Lal Nehru.clxxxSee https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-and-russia-share-special-partnership-sonia-gandhi/articleshow/63702449.cms Would she be asked about the exact nature of relationship? Does she knows about the payments made to her husband by KGBclxxxiAlbats, Yevgenia; Fitzpatrick, Catherine (1999) [1994]. The State Within a State: The KGB and its Hold on Russia-Past, Present, and Future. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan. p. 223. ISBN 9780374527389. ? You did not know about it? Well, media in India did not raise it and the book making disclosure never entered India.
However the larger question is about the long history of Congress Party. It was a think tank with substantial influence of Motilal Nehru, father of Jawaharlal Nehru until the Gandhi came on scene and by canvassing door to door, village to village and made Congress a mass base party. It is this formula of Gandhi which he applied alone, is now followed by RSS/BJP for it's winnings. As regards Congress Party with it's present leadership and past track records, looks like Federalist Party of USA, which existed till about 1800 AD.
Communal Party
The above, aims objects and views of these national players have been extracted to show that on paper they are hardly different from each other. Except the use of strong and mild words, what is the difference of philosophy of RSS, BJP and Congress? Are they not talking the same thing?
They all talk abut "Hindu Nationalism". So how come the Congress Party and others call them "Secular" and BJP becomes "Communal"? And the parties which are in fact based on 'caste' which actually means community are not called Communal. The usage changed the meaning of the word 'communal'.
Actually answer lies in past. On 20 December 1933, RSS was first banned by British as a communal partyclxxxiiISBN : 9789353222369: Ratan Sharda in Sangh and Swaaraj (2019). The tradition continued. It was hypocritical as same British allowed rather helped Muslim league. The situation is no different. BJP is communal but 'All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen' is not communal party? Does AIMM has any non muslim member? Why parties are permitted to be formed on religious lines?
If BJP does nothing for "Integral Humanism", Congress Party also does not bother about "Sarva Dharma Samabhava". Media talks about various things but nobody questions this fundamental question as to how they are implementing this core policy?
Like Cricket, which is gentleman's game on paper, Politics is about nation building but only on paper. All political parties claim to represent some ideology but they hardly bother about it. Democracy actually pans out on entirely different platform, especially in India.
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