BJP: Communal Divisive Propaganda Yet Again

For majoritarian nationalism, communal and divisive propaganda has been a major plank for increasing hold in the electoral arena through promoting hate. The module of Hindu nationalist politics has centred on two major planks. One, glorification of the ancient past, the era when values of Manusmriti were the social norms. And two, the distortion of History, particularly medieval. Here, temple destructions and conversion to Islam by force have been the major falsehoods.

On this foundation, they have been adding other issues through their vast network. So far, the Babri mosque demolition was used to propagate that Mughal rulers destroyed Hindu temples to humiliate the Hindus. It has been a major key of their falsehoods among others. Adding to this during the current general elections (2024), eating meat has been twisted to intensify the same track.

Recently, one visual of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav eating fish on April 8, was circulating. The Navratra, the Holy month of Savan, as per the Hindu calendar, when many Hindus hold that non-vegetarian food should not be consumed, began from April 9. Unmindful of the dates, a barrage was unleashed against Yadav for “insulting the feelings” of Hindus by eating non-veg during the Holy month of Savan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have mastered the art of twisting facts, using communal historiography to intensify hate and communal propaganda. He seized this ‘fish-given’ opportunity with both hands. He recalled that last year RJD leader Lalu Prasad and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cooked and consumed meat during this Holy month. In a shrewd way, Modi combined meat during savan with the destruction of temples by Mughals: “When the Mughals attacked here, they were not satisfied with defeating the ruling king, unless they broke the temples and destroyed the places of worship. They found enjoyment in that. In the same way, by showing the video in the month of savan, they want to provoke the people of the country with Mughal mentality.”  As per him, the videos were uploaded by his political rivals for 'vote-bank' politics!

The issue of temple destructions by kings has been extensively researched by outstanding historians, such as Richard Eaton among others, to show that temple destructions were also done by Hindu kings. Muslims kings also gave a lot of donations to Hindu temples. Kashmir historian Kalhana’s classic Rajtarangini describes that Raja Harshdev, a Hindu King of Kashmir, appointed a special officer to uproot the idols of Hindu Gods, those made of gold and silver, from Hindu temples. Aurangzeb gave donations to Hindu temples as well.

In the game of sectarian nationalism, truth is the biggest casualty. Interpretations based on such communal mindsets are far away from the reality of social affairs.

As the Indian National Congress released its election manifesto, Nyaya Patra, (Justice Proclamation) based on affirmative justice for weaker sections of society, Modi was prompt to state that this manifesto had the imprint of Muslim League of yore. Others from his cabal have also mastered this art of using dog whistle. UttarPradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in an innocuous looking sentence, stated that a criminal in UP will have to face jail or jahhanum. (word used for hell in Islamic tradition). He also brought forward the issue of Haji Malang, a shrine close to Mumbai, being claimed to be a Hindu shrine, Malang Gadh. This is on the lines of the Baba Budan Giri Dargah campaign which gave strength to BJP in Karnataka, three decades ago.

Adding to these, Modi is spreading fear that if the Opposition INDIA alliance comes to power it will redistribute wealth to ‘infiltrators’. By this, he is giving a signal that Muslims who have come from Bangladesh will be given this wealth of ‘others’. In the same breath, he says that “Congress will give your wealth to ‘those with more children’“. In both these headlines, the hint that Congress wants to appease Muslims is clear enough.

The ‘scare of infiltrators’ was exposed when the National register of Citizens (NRC) was conducted in Assam. Out of 19 lakh people who did not have proper papers, 13 lakhs were Hindus. The claim was that there are pockets of Bangladeshi infiltrators (‘termites’ in BJP leader Amit Shah’s words).

As for those ‘having more children’, the latest fertility rates reveal that these are declining among Muslim women and, at present, on average a Muslim women’s rate of fertility is marginally higher than the national average among Hindus. And if the current trends continue, they may become close enough soon.

One is reminded of the propaganda of the Hindu Right that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stated that Muslims have the “first right on national resources.” This was in the aftermath of Sachar Committee Report 2006, when the committee showed that the economic, social and political condition of Muslims was worsening over the years. What Singh had stated was totally different. He had said: “"I believe our collective priorities are clear: agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programs for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children.”

How the Hindu Right wing is capable of distorting the facts to suit political propaganda is clear from these instances. Spreading hate against Muslims and condemning those who dare to talk of affirmative action on rational grounds is a strict ‘no’ for this political formation thriving on divisive politics.

Over the years, the Hindu Right’s propaganda tools have become sharper and its mechanisms have spread well to the extent that they can concoct a narrative that demonises the religious minorities, Muslims in this case. It constructs an anti-Hindu image of those sticking to the norms of democracy and values of the Constitution. The powerful media is at present backing this party to hilt, and is creating a ‘social common sense’, which is totally opposed to the plural ethos of India, developed over a period of centuries, culminating in the greatest ever mass movement in the World, our freedom struggle.

It is time that the constituents of the INDIA bloc give a truthful rejoinder to the falsehoods of majoritarian politics.

The writer is a human rights activist. The views are personal.