P Chidambaram writes: Mr Bhagwat speaks, listen all ye faithful

A chill wind

Shortly aft the results of the Lok Sabha elections were announced, successful June 2024, Mr Bhagwat made a code successful which the item was his exhortation “Shed arrogance, practise modesty”. It was his archetypal nationalist code aft the LS elections and helium said:

• Electoral sermon that utilized falsehoods and vituperative connection violated the decency that parties are expected to observe;
• Your hostile is not an adversary, helium lone represents a antagonistic viewpoint; alternatively of rival, telephone them the opposition; the opposition’s opinions should besides beryllium considered; and
• A existent sevak maintains dignity (maryada). He does not person the arrogance (ahankar) to accidental ‘I did this work’.
• The code was wide interpreted arsenic pointing to Mr Modi and his predetermination campaign.

The adjacent notable code was successful July successful which Mr Bhagwat famously said “a antheral wants to go Superman, past a Dev, and past a Bhagwan”. It was intelligibly a disapproval of Mr Modi’s assertion that helium was not calved ‘biologically’. If Mr Modi denied conception, gestation and parturition, was helium referring to himself arsenic a ‘creation’? And was Mr Bhagwat hinting that Mr Modi whitethorn person crossed a line?

A acold wave

The 3rd code was connected the RSS entering its 100th twelvemonth connected Vijayadasami day, October 12, 2024. I person work the reported substance successful English (times of india. indiatimes.com). I was disappointed, but not amazed that Mr Bhagwat reverted to the RSS’ established ideological positions. His code was strewn with words and phrases specified arsenic Dharma, Sanskruti, idiosyncratic and nationalist character, triumph of auspiciousness and righteousness, and self-pride. He alluded to the struggle betwixt Hamas and Israel but made nary notation of the 43,000 deaths; to the elections successful J&K but did not connection his wishes to the caller government; and to Manipur but lone said that it was ‘disturbed’.

The remainder of Mr Bhagwat’s code was emblematic Modi-speak: however Bharat arsenic a federation has go stronger, however the satellite is accepting our consciousness of cosmopolitan brotherhood, and however Bharat’s image, power, fame and presumption connected the satellite signifier is perpetually improving. There was more: attempts to destabilise the state are gaining momentum, countries that assertion to beryllium wide bash not hesitate to onslaught different countries oregon overthrow their democratically elected governments done amerciable oregon convulsive means, deliberate effort to tarnish Bharat’s representation based connected lies, etc. Mr Bhagwat offered nary grounds of the superior allegations. Referring to Bangladesh, helium was successful afloat travel and pointed to ‘unprovoked brutal atrocities connected the Hindu community’, to the ‘sword of information that volition bent implicit the heads of each the number communities including the Hindus’, and to the ‘illegal infiltration from Bangladesh into Bharat and the consequential colonisation imbalance caused by it’. Finally, successful a Modi-like peroration, helium said, ‘Hindu assemblage crossed the satellite should larn the acquisition that being unorganised and anemic is similar inviting atrocities by the wicked’.

Eye of the beholder

Substitute the connection ‘Muslim’ for the connection ‘Hindu’, particularly successful the peroration, and it would look that the talker was justifying each communal conflict. Every thought and connection of Mr Bhagwat could beryllium utilized to picture the plight of Muslims and Dalits in India, blacks successful the United States, Jews successful pre-World War Germany, Palestinians successful their ain homeland, each number intimidated by the majority, and women everywhere. Who is the aggressor and who is the unfortunate prevarication successful the oculus of the beholder.

It besides seems that the RSS has mastered the connection of modern governmental discourse, and Mr Bhagwat utilized the words liberally: heavy state, wokeism, taste Marxist, uncovering responsibility lines, and Alternative Politics. Mr Bhagwat missed ‘urban naxals’ and ‘tukde tukde gang’. He referred to the ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘what happened precocious successful neighbouring Bangladesh’, and warned against ‘similar evil attempts each astir Bharat’. I wonderment what was ‘evil’ astir the Arab Spring oregon the revolt of students against a tyrannical authorities successful Bangladesh that ‘won’ an predetermination with the Opposition leaders successful prison.

It seems that the RSS and the BJP person resolved their differences and closed ranks. With nary 1 to temper Mr Modi’s utterances and actions, helium volition consciousness emboldened to usage his authority, maltreatment Opposition parties, and prosecute his policies that person led to inflation, unemployment, inequality, crony capitalism, societal oppression, communal conflicts and injustice. Brace yourself for much Modi-speak and Modi-actions.