Be more circumspect on ‘nationalism’ issue

It may be unrealistic to expect the BJP to overlook what it calls “nationalism” when it is gearing itself for a major electoral contest in Uttar Pradesh in six months’ time that is likely to have a bearing on its chances in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Even so, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to calibrate his message in a manner that gives no quarter to the disruptive tendencies that have mushroomed under his stewardship, taking advantage of the political hype around “nationalism” and “patriotism” of the RSS-BJP variety, including the triumphant chest-thumping of “gau-rakshak” brigades.

It would appear, however, that the PM fell short when on Tuesday he addressed the BJP’s core committee that was deliberating poll strategies. He preferred to underline that “nationalism” was the BJP’s identity and the party needed to take it forward even as it had to contend with the fact that dalits and tribals did not regard it as their party but had to make efforts to win them over. Mr Modi knows full well the “nationalism” espoused by his hardcore supporters is creating confusion and havoc, and in some cases leaving a trail of death. He has himself noted some 80 per cent of “gau-rakshaks” are criminals. This was after the infamous Una dalit-flogging incident in Gujarat that threatens to rip open the PM’s carefully crafted strategy for harnessing dalit power in the BJP’s favour at the hustings.

Is Mr Modi now resiling from his characterisation of the “gau-rakshaks” after receiving not so oblique threats from the VHP, Hindu Mahasabha and other RSS-oriented diehards to get even in the elections If so, it will amount to appeasement of the destructive nationalist brigades.

“Nationalism” has been the flavour of the season officially. But what does the expression really mean Clearly, it is not the decades-long upsurge against British colonial rule from which the RSS as an outfit calculatedly stayed away. Belittling the freedom struggle recently, Mr Modi said the BJP had suffered more under the Congress than the latter did during British rule. Do the RSS and its affiliates, the BJP included, mean “Hindu nationalism” (which was not Gandhiji’s nationalism, incidentally)

Perhaps they do, but the RSS brand of nationalism is different from the real thing (which we feel in our bones), and doesn’t elicit the admiration of a large section of Hindus. Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS head, said in Agra the other day that “Hindutva” was the same as “nationalism”. The debate on this should be interesting, for “Hindutva” at core is about uniting all sections of what RSS calls “Hindu” against the minorities.

When we face a plethora of such difficult questions, the PM’s articulations should be more circumspect.