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| Image from India Today |
On 6 Dec 1992, a huge battalion of people who called themselves kar sevaks (volunteers) led by Prime
Ministerial aspirant L K Advani demolished the Babri Masjid in Ayodya. The
professed goal was to strike down the historical symbol of Islamic ascendancy
in the country and mark the beginning of a Hindu Rashtra. The real goal might
have been to catapult BJP to political power and ensconce Advani in the PM’s
chair.
One of the few intellectuals who supported the move was Arun Shourie, an
admired journalist in those days. Shourie wrote then that the Ayodhya events
demonstrated “that the Hindus have now realized that they are in very large
numbers, that their sentiment is shared by those who man the apparatus of the
state, and that they can bend the state to their will.” He also expressed his
hope that the Masjid demolition was “the starting point of a cultural awareness
and understanding that would ultimately result in a complete restructuring of
the Indian public life in ways that would be in consonance with Indian civilizational
heritage.”
22 years after the demolition, Shourie’s dream as well as that of many
others’ apparently found its materialization when Narendra Modi became India’s
Prime Minister. Modi is doing whatever he can, many of which are not quite
ethical or moral, to bring about the Hindu Rashtra in the country. Is Shourie
happy?
Recently Shourie exhorted the Opposition parties to join together in
order to save the country from Narendra Modi. He was addressing the Mumbai
debut of Rashtra Manch, a non-political forum whose objective is to “save
democracy and constitution.” Many prominent right wing politicians were with
him at the time: Shatrughan Sinha, Yashwant Singh, and so on. They are all
disillusioned with Modi.
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| Disillusionment |
6 Dec 1992 is an unforgettable lesson for India like the historical
revolutions which taught the world that good changes seldom take place through
violent means. Violence usually leads to more violence. What creates a better
society is a humanitarian vision, an inclusive vision, a compassionate vision. Mr
Modi is the antithesis of all that. Shourie and others have now understood it.
I hope more Indians will acquire that wisdom sooner than later.
My previous posts on Ayodhya:
https://matheikal.blogspot.com/2017/03/ayodhya-politics-2.html
I appreciate your views. A highly intellectual person (in my view, he is a genius) like Arun Shourie was misled by his own visualization of the aftermath that was going to happen in India after the demolition deed on 06.12.1992 and he was wrongly optimistic of seeing some positive change in the Indian society in the times those were to come. His disillusionment underscores your views expressed in this article. Violence begets violence only, nothing else. An eye for an eye approach may turn the whole world blind in the wrong run. And it's utterly useless and illogical to correct the (real or imagined) historical aberrations in today's pragmatic world. Such things can only produce regressive effects, never any progressive one. The Indian prime minister completely neglected Arun Shourie and his immense capabilities while forming his (yes, his and not India's) government because he can't tolerate any competent person around him, leave aside a truthful and a conscientious one. And Shourie is both.
ReplyDeleteI was a fan of Shourie when he was the editor of the Indian Express and i was a young man. Eventually he became too right wing for me to like. My like or dislike apart, his genius is unquestionable. Modi failed to utilize that for the welfare of the nation. You're right, Modi can't tolerate intelligent people ; he's scared of them.
DeleteIf it's any consolation, even left-wing leaders (at least the state I belong to ) are utterly egoist, uncouth and technically/scientifically inept. West Bengal has been ruled over by left-front for 34 years and it totally ruined the education system, let alone fostering reading among students or rebuilding libraries.
ReplyDeleteWhen Oxford-educated Imran Khan swore in as PM, I was curious whether he could take some steps to curb down religious extremism. His bowing down before mullahs in Asia bib blasphemy case is disappointing. SE Asia gets the leaders it deserves.
No consolation, dear Jheelam. What awaits us is catastrophe unless we choose intelligence above emotions.
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