If terrorism poses a periodic external threat to India, right wing Hindu fanatics pose a more constant danger of destabilizing Indian politics and society. The attack on lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan by fringe fanatic groups last week underscores this point. The temerity of the right wing forces extended not only to assaulting Bhushan in a chamber of the Supreme Court of India in front of the national media, but also to repeating the act the very next day when they roughed up his supporters outside a courtroom.
The motivation behind the attack was apparently Bhushan’s recent statements on Kashmir, in which he calls for a plebiscite to widen the debate over possible solutions to the conflict in the disputed region. The civil rights activist argued he was attempting to take the discussion forward on Jammu and Kashmir, but right wing activists argued his remarks were seditious.
The rise of right wing forces over the past few years raises alarming questions about the safety and security of liberal ideals in India. Examples of right wing excess abound. Renowned painter Maqbool Fida Husain was hounded by right wing Hindu forces and eventually abandoned his Indian citizenship to live in Dubai and England. He died a lonely man in the latter, far from his friends and home. And, last year, Mumbai University was forced to withdraw the book Such a Long Journey from its syllabus because it contained ‘unpalatable’ references to the Hindu group Shiv Sena.
A book release function for the writer and social activist Arundhati Roy, which this writer attended, saw similar right wing hooliganism a few months ago. The moment the Booker Prize winning author mentioned Kashmir, goons rushed to the stage, disrupting her speech and snatching her microphone from her. The attackers reportedly had previous associations with the main Opposition Bhartiya Janata Party and its parent organization Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
The state of Gujarat is a classic example of how radical Hindu groups can hold democratic government to ransom. The recent detention by the state government of a senior police official, Sanjeev Bhatt, who tried to expose the complicity of Gujarati Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2002 riots in which more than 2,000 Muslims were killed, is a case in point. This systematic stifling of liberal and dissenting voices encourages groups to take the law into their own hands.
The very fact that a person like Modi, despite his alleged involvement in the killing of so many people, can continue to derive legitimacy through the support of a section of a polarized electorate, encourages fringe rightist groups to attack those who don’t subscribe to their world view.
But liberals also share some of the blame for the rise of such dark forces in India. We fail to act firmly when faced with challenges by the fanatical right. The Congress government in Maharashtra failed to resist open defiance by Shiv Sena, and apparently couldn’t offer Husain sufficient protection to prevent him from being forced into exile.
At the same time, civil activists who fight for secular and liberal ideas in India fail to campaign consistently against such rightist groups. The social activist Anna Hazare and his team have been so single-mindedly devoted to their campaign against corruption that they have tacitly and indirectly accepted the help of Hindu rightist groups like the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and others. Rightist groups are then using the civil rights movement to further their own political agendas.
Nor is the problem of cross-pollination between civil rights movements and the Hindu far right a new one. As noted by English daily The Hindu, ‘today's right wing intolerance is a product of the failure of past anti-corruption campaigns to recognise the dangers of communalism. The RSS was an integral part of the anti-corruption movements of 1977 and 1989, and the Anna campaign too suffers from the perception that its ranks have been permeated by RSS foot soldiers.’
Tellingly, one of the first reactions of Hazare after the attack on Bhushan was condemnation of the lawyer’s statement on Kashmir and only mild opprobrium for the ‘misguided’ youth who assaulted the activist. Such an attitude on the part of this prominent activist is not only a second assault on Bhushan, it’s also an endorsement of the violent methods of rightist elements.
We’ve seen the danger of indulging majority fascism and religious intolerance in Pakistan, a phenomenon that has dreadfully destabilized Pakistan. Politicians who dare speak out there, like Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer and Religious Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, were killed because they expressed their views on blasphemy laws there. If we don’t deal firmly with rogue religious and fanatic elements in India, we run the risk of endangering the very idea of India itself.
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r r bhatia
1) It wasnt temerity, it was pure anger at secessionary views, something which in my opinion was neither misplaced, nor excessive
2) On the issue of plebiscite, why not hold a referendum on the very issue of the nature of the indian state, vis a vis, what the indian state should be like? whether liberal or right wing?
3) Btw, you guys are not liberal, more precisely you’re neo-liberal, you too are prejudiced in your views
4) Talk of Sedition is not liberal, its sedition
5) Why not mention too here what Arundhati Roy, that Goddess of you neo liberals, professes to be the solution to the Kashmir issue?
6) While at it, also mention what “Maqbool Fida Husain was hounded” for!!
Of Course, Every citizen has a right to their views, But to air them in a way that incites seditionary sentiments, is not allowed by the Indian Constitution, which i can surely say you havent even read beyond the Preamble.
Also i too condemn some actions of the Shiv Sena, such as intolerance of its criticism.
“The very fact that a person like Modi, despite his alleged involvement in the killing of so many people”….you write the word alleged, but your insinuation clearly is that he’s guilty…thats just plain weird.
You talk of “a polarized electorate”. Now dont even get me started on what happens all around the world, even in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, even in the United States. “Polarization” is just a wrong way you choose to imply “democratically elected”. You think the people of Kashmir dont get “polarized” when they hear falsehood from Geelani’s mouths?
There is a difference between Right Wing Extremism, and Patriotism, its high time you learn to differentiate the two
yang zi
Back when India leader Singh visited US, his main talking point is the shared values and similar historical struggles. When I heard him saying shared values, I can’t help notice his head gear.
If not for British massacre in India, India will be a majority Muslim, or dominated by Muslims. Any religion can produce radicals. The author is brave to point this out.
If India develops into a world power, will Hindu population become more aggressive? or more moderate? the same kind of questions US is asking about China.
India shouldn’t behave like British India, nor should it regard Pakistan, Bangladesh or India Ocean as its backyard. In this day and age, there is no backyard for anyone. India is welcome to cozy up with Vietnam as long as it does not get involved into other people’s sovereignty disputes.
Praveen Reddy
Why do the so called liberals keep worrying about the Hindu Extreemism? How many people supported the Youth for beating up Mr. Bhushan??…
Do they think that it is Constitutional Right to Air Secessionist Voices against the Country???
Who do the author refer indirectly to own Right wing Extreemism The BJP, The RSS…???
If so these Neo Liberals are insulting the people of Gujarat for reelecting the Modi Government?? They imply That almost 40 Million people are polarized, then why did a sizeable muslim population also voted for Modi… were they been threatened with thier lifes or somethindg likethat….
The author broadly says that “We Liberals” .. How many of them?? Half a Billion???
Please Stop worrying about HIndu Extreemism or even Extreemism bullshit… If the GOvernment provides enough education with moral values , employment, general necessities to the mass, there would be no extreemism even in Pakistan or anywhere else in the world…
@ Yang zi
How do China treat if any one airs secessionist views…. Oh sorry I forgot commons cannot air thier voice?? sorry for that…
Coming to the soverignity , claims and the backyard thing…. China can claim the whole of the world but facts and other countries remain….
Go Beg Uncle Sam not ask u questions???
Samrat
They are terrorists they also should be banned just like simi was banned ..why allow a group like rss which is against the got .Shiv sena was found guilty in bombay riots but then also this bal thackeray wasnt trialed and the guy who was the head of the commission was a brahmin justice bn srikshan i salute his unbiased investigation .He blamed bjp and shiv sena for riots and many officers of bombay police were also among the culprit list but no one has been trialed yet.
Rss has been linked with terrorist groups like akhand bharat but there is no action against these organizations because the govt is too scared to speak out against these these right wing terrorists.When the atf chief arrested sadhvi these rss and shiv sena lena leaders threatened him too but what is gonna happen now.Officers a.k.a whistleblowers sanjeev bhatt should be protected media is doing everything to demonize him .We are a modern nation not a third world lunatic state .we are proud of our unity.
Harry Khan
Praveen@
Your secessionist argument is wrong. Why did India help Bangladesh in their secessionist movement in 1971? If that was right, then Pakistan has every right to help Kashmiri people in their pursuit of independence, and will remain committed to help morally and politically the Muslims of India to achieve their aspiration. Kashmiri people simply don’t want to be part of India; they have nothing in common with you and want self rule….you can’t pick and choose!
Frank
Tamils want to seperate away from India now. India’s trouble has just started.
Mr Bharat
The only reason why the right wing is becoming so strong is bacause the central Gov is very weak!
Praveen Reddy
@ Harry Khan
I was referring People living in India voicing secessionist views against India… not of other countries.. other countries can talk what they want… as you always do…
Frank
India was created by Mongols
Digvijay Khapre
i cannot believe this magazine can publish such horrible articles in it! editors? a very bad job….mr. bhatia has done a good job in replying but i will also add more….
well first of all yes there is a right of freedom of speech and expression but it subject to reasonable restrictions
1) yes it was wrong to attack someone in his office, to this i agree but one also must look at the statements made by mr. bhushan which were incorrect and seditious and it was out of pure anger of the people which made them do what they did
2)MF hussain was not just hounded by right wing extremist group but he was also criticized by the average middle class of india. he drew lewd and vulgar paintings of hindu gods and goddesses (the author did not mention this anywhere) and the sentiments of people were very hurt. the author also forgets to mention that the had people peacefully demanded an apology from him and he arrogantly even refused to apologise! now if he refuses to even apologise for hurting the sentiments of millions of devote hindus then he deserved what he got. (freedom of expression is subject to reasonable restrictions and he violated those restrictions)
3)arudhati roy is famous for her seditious remarks every now and then, her seditious views on kasmhir are quite known, yes it is wrong to snatch the mike from her but again it is the result of the anger towards here continous seditious remarks, what u call as extremists can also be called as patriotics who cannot listen anything against the countrty, so what if the people had assocaitions with RSS an 80 year old organisation? or BJP the 2nd largest political party of india?
if i am not wrong u might be a congress party worker
4)these are the words you wrote – “The very fact that a person like Modi, despite his ALLEGED involvement in the killing of so many people……… derive legitimacy through the support of a section of a POLARIZED ELECTORATE” ok first of all u concede to the fact that the invlovement is alleged, even then u write as thought he is totally responsible for the killings, moreover u directly assume NM is responsible and that sanjeev bhatt was going to expose that! JUSTIFY YOUR ASSUMPTION. No person can get elected 3 continuous times just with the help of a section of polarized population moreover u forgot to mention that his party gets elected even in muslim dominated areas.
reply to that!
Anees Ebrahem
@Frank: As a person of partial Indian-Tamil descent, who has visited Tamil Nadu state frequently, it should be made known that the Tamil secessionist movement is extremely small with little mainstream support. There is no widespread support nor is there anything to indicate it will grow. The only secessionist movements in India that are or may gain widespread support are in the Christian majority states in the NorthEast and in the Jammu & Kashmir region.
SUBRAMANYA
@Samrat : On what basis do you compare RSS with SIMI? Does RSS has been convicted for terrorism? On what basis do you want do you want to ban it? You agree with its views but one should see the selfless service service done by many of its members.
@ Author: What is the problem with RSS joining Anna Hazare movement? Before talking about it go and see the humanitarian work done by its volunteers.
As somebody pointed out your statement “derive legitimacy through the support of a section of a polarized electorate” is a great insult to the people of Gujarat. Why don’t you ask these questions about Sikh riots or any other riots?
You are correct in saying “liberals” are causing the rise of right wing through their one sided analysis which insults the majority of Indians. Why no mention of Salman Rushdie? Taslima ? In Karnataka you protested against pub attacks in manglore I totally support it but why didn’t you talk against the violent attacks on students by KFL? because it is a minority org?(you are feared?)
We need to differentiate between Extremist views and patriotism. for that first so-called “liberals should remove their double standards and start to report fairly.
@Frank: you first need to read about Indian History before talking about “creation of India by mongols”
PS: I am not a member of RSS or any other organizations. I am actually an agnostic who is fed off the double standards of Indian “intellectuals”.