28

Aug

Congress following “Soft Hindutva”? Really?

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New Delhi, August 28, 2023

"If America is famously a 'melting pot', then to me India is a thali, a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls." 

Dr Satish Misra

An intense debate has been waxing and waning in the media, political and social circles for quite some time that the Indian National Congress has abandoned “secularism” and has moved to“Soft Hindutva” line to revive its political and electoral fortunes. 

Truth and veracity of such claims, requires an understanding and comprehension of the Sanatan Dharm or what has become synonymous to Hinduism.      

It has become almost a fashion or call it a fad these days to label the country’s oldest party as a votary of “Soft Hindutva”. Whenever, a Congress leader or for that matter a member of Nehru Gandhi family visits a temple, meets a religious leader of Hindu faith or bears a Tilak on the forehead, prompt comments erupt on social media platforms accusing it of treading the "soft Hindutva" path.

In this backdrop, it is worthwhile and relevant to take a close look at the ideology of “Hindutva” to see the issue in persecute whether the accusation against Congress holds out or is a mischievous design of its rivals supported by a section of an ignorant media which fails to put the issue in the right perspective.       

At the outset, it must be stated in categorical terms that while Hihdutva is a political ideology which is about hundred years old, inhabitants of the land mass living across Sindhu or Indus river  known as Bharat that is India have culturally and spiritually followed ‘Sanatan Dharm’. The two are totally different to each other like cheese is to chalk.

It must be mentioned here that word Hindu does not find any mention in Vedas or earlier texts like Upnishads. This word came into vogue only after the invasions from Persia and Arabia began. As letter ‘S’ is pronounced as an ‘H’ by Persians and Arabs, Sindhu came to be pronounced as Hindu and those living across the river as ‘Hindus’.     

Hindutva ideology was formulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1922. It aims at capturing political power by any means and essentially has an intrinsic faith in use of force which can solve any problem. It rejects diversity and is votary of a strong nation which in its conviction can only be achieved through regimentation of society. Hindutva ideologues have maintained that Hinduism is a religion but different from Abrahamic religion like Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Proponents of Hindutva, therefore, treat Islam, Christianity along with Communism as enemies. Savarkar and his followers that include the Rashtriys Swyamsevak Sangh and the BJP are convinced that one of the primary reasons for foreign invasions of this landmass was the lack of regimentation of society.               

On the other hand, ancient Sanatan Dharm is a way of life that accepts diversity, different forms of worship allowing a person born out of Hindu mother and father to choose the path. Sanatan Dharm accepts even non-believers, atheists and non-conformists Hindus. It is a continuing dialogue and accepts change as a law of nature. In short, Sanatam Dharm is evolutionary, Hindutva is rigid and inflexible though it is not shy of using fair and foul means to achieve its goal of turning today’s India into a Hindu nation where minorities have to live as second grade citizens at the mercy of majority Hindus.

Question whether the Congress is following Soft Hindutva or not need to be examined in the above background to get a correct and credible answer. The Indian National Congress, particularly after Mohandas Karmachand Gandhi joined the party broadly followed Sanatan Dharm as one of the guiding light.

Mahatma Gandhi led Congress treated all faiths and religions as equal and the party aiming to get independence from the British became an umbrella like outfit under which every Indian had a place to stand. It sought to become the voice of every Indian and that was what differentiated it from other parties like the Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha. At the same time, the Congress membership spanned from right wing to left wing and the party remained a platform at which every view and opinion could be found.     

After independence in 1947 and promulgation of the Constitution in 1950, the Congress did not use religion as an instrument of either governance or its politics while allowing its members to pursue their faith in their individual or personal life. Advertisement of the religion or faith or its loud and vulgar public display remained an anathema to Congress men and women in particular and to majority of Indians at large.  

It may be mentioned here that even though the word secular remained a key ingredient of the Constitution unlike the Western concept of seculars where the state is totally barred from taking part in any religious programs Nehru with his Western education allowed the Pandits and religious leaders to decide the Mahurat of India's exact timing of India's freedom movement and similar programs keeping in mind India's larger majority sentiment in view where religion is way of life.

Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated later by a Hindu fanatic for conceding the demands of Pakistan called himself a proud Hindu and united the entire country in the freedom struggle by calling it Dharm Yudh.

After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 by a right wing Hindutva follower and country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru steering the Congress kept the country steadily on the secular path, the RSS continued to work overtly and covertly to take the country towards the Hindutva road.

Exploiting the public opinion that Muslims were responsible for partition of the country while deliberately overlooking that the British colonial rulers, the Muslim League along with Hindu Mahasabha and all right wing organizations were culprits of the division of the country into two parts, the RSS began to impregnate gullible citizens that the Congress was favouring Muslims and was thus indulging in appeasement of the community which was poor.

Credit must always be given even to a devil, the RSS succeeded in firmly drilling that the Congress is a party for Muslims and turning secularism into a dirty word. Credulous people accepted gulping the lie while the Congress did little to dispel the impression.

The RSS went on to use an religion equating wth aggressive nationalism to further its goal of capturing power and launched the RamJanm Mandir movement in early 80s. The Congress leadership failed to effectively counter canards, falsehoods and lies as it failed to see the ground realities and read popular pulse.

But understanding Hinduism in essence is not just about spreading rumours or canards it needs solid study which the current BJP leadership is incapable of. They have not had any thought leader after Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

On the other hand, the Congress can boast of many such scholars on its rolls.

One of the most vocal and respectable of them is Shashi Tharoor who went to write a book called "Why I am a Hindu".

In an article in 2020 he beautifully summed up the spirit of India as enunciated by the INC through its Constitution.

"If America is famously a 'melting pot', then to me India is a thali, a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls."

So while the RSS and the BJP are following Hindutva's agenda the Congress is steady on the path of Sanatan Dharm while fighting Hindutva with Rahul Gandhi leading from the front. 

Yes tactically, Congress is not making any effort to hide the fact that it continues to treat everyone equally be it minorities or the majority but that is its essential belief.

Equating Hindutva with Sanatan Dharm and calling it ‘Soft Hindutva’, is the RSS’s strategy and sections of media lacking the fine eye for distinction continue to project the Congress as such as they fall for the propaganda have orders from above to follow the pattern. 

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