BJP, be wise!

Yesterday, the Bhoomi Pujan at the supposed birthplace of the mythological figure Lord Ram has served to legitimise an act of vandalism by Hindutva forces on December 6, 1992 – the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

It is unfortunate that the prime minister of the nation consecrated the spot thus putting in question the secular ethics of the nation. By the way, the term secular in the Indian context means co-existence of all religions. This is unlike how the term is used in the Western context as a separation of the State and the Church.

The events yesterday were a culmination of the efforts of the nation’s Hindutva forces. As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh head said, these efforts have taken more than 30 years to achieve their purpose: build the Ram temple.

The sub-text is to assert that India is no longer a secular nation but a Hindu majoritarian religion and consequently a Hindu Rashtra.

In his speech, the PM invoked India’s freedom struggle by comparing the two movements and positing that the effort to build the Ram temple was akin to India’s effort to free the nation from the British.

Never mind that to aid the Hindutva project, the Supreme Court had in a mutually contradicting order – while calling the demolition of the Islamic structure illegal – asked for the formation of a Trust and tasked the government with building the temple.

Now that the Hindutva project is over, here is a suggestion to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) – the political party which represents Hindutva. It is in line with the rumoured suggestion that supposedly Mahatma Gandhi made to the Indian National Congress once India’s independence was achieved: disband the party.

This is not a light suggestion. It is a suggestion being made with due application of mind. BJP, please look at your stint for the last six years. The wise are they who are acutely aware of their strengths and weaknesses. One aspect is clear: you are excellent at winning elections but not at all capable of governance.

BJP, all your moves from Demonetization to Goods and Service Taxes, to abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir to the Citizenship Laws have been a disaster. They have led to fall in economy, loss of jobs, rise in unemployment, scarcity of resources.

Your penchant to keep forming governments has destabilised many a state from Karnataka to Madhya Pradesh to recently Rajasthan.

BJP, in your watch, China has made incursions into our borders, even Nepal has redesigned its maps claiming our territories, Bangladesh is siding with China, Pakistan remains an eternal problem, US forced us to release medicines which they later did not want, the list is long. It is wise and mature to accept your limitation. Accept it that you failed at foreign policy.

Look at the management of the coronavirus outbreak. In spite of your luminaries claiming that the construction of the Ram temple will end the pandemic, yesterday we reached the highest number of cases 56,262, and deaths 919. This is when we crossed 19 lakh cases and 40,000 deaths.

Look at your central cabinet. It is filled with ministers who are only nominally head of departments. The fact is the Prime Minister’s Office controls the entire government. Most of the ministers anyway do not have the qualifications to hold their ministries.

They keep making mistake after mistake whether it is on environment laws, sanctioning mining projects, cutting down green zones, or handling the crafts or agriculture sectors. There is actually a rumour that given what happened to Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Manohar Parrikar – deaths – the ministry itself is jinxed.

None of this augurs well for the party (BJP) in the long run. In fact, looking at your ideological bearings in caste-based Hinduism, the ruler should never be the priest. The rulers are Kshatriyas and the priests are Brahmins.

For a party that does not recognise Dalits, looks down upon women, by participating and leading the Bhumi Pujan rituals, the PM has assumed the role of both the ruler and the priest. This is unfavourable to your own ideology.

BJP, be wise. Lest you face the fate of what has happened to the Congress, quit while you are on a high. Disband now, let smaller regional parties come up. That is synchronous with the idea of greater federalism for India.

Do consider the above suggestion seriously because history is both: cyclical and unkind.

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Also Read: India’s Tryst with Destiny – Hindu Rashtra