Should Rahul refrain from attacking Savarkar?
Many in the Congress are also said to have advised Rahul Gandhi to avoid such things and not allow the BJP to take political advantage
It is not chance that the name of VD Savarkar has reappeared in our national discourse. He had been a controversial figure in his lifetime and remains so after his death. Is the controversy his name has evoked irrelevant and only a media creation? Or, is it a mistake on the part of Rahul Gandhi to mention his name in an issue that is not directly related to the Hindutva ideology?
It is a fact that his influence over his followers has been increasing over the past few years. If his personality and ideology inspire those who want to reduce Muslims and Christians to second-class citizens, it scares minorities and people who believe in democracy and human rights.
The most vehement reaction to what Rahul Gandhi had said came from Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackerey. He strongly condemned the statement of Rahul Gandhi that he is not a Savarkar and that he would apologize for his speech. The speech has not only invited conviction for two years but also his loss of membership in Parliament. Many believe that the response of Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray is only political and inspired by his ambition to regain support among the followers of Hindutva. They say that the former chief minister has significantly lost his support after his longtime associate Eknath Shinde deserted him to join the BJP bandwagon. Hence, they say, Uddhav's desperation is legitimate.
This would be improper to suggest that Uddhav's only motivation is immediate political gain. Savarkar’s Hindutva has been the core of Shiv Sena’s ideology. This fact cannot be ignored. We must keep in mind that it was Shiv Sena who combined the language-based, regional pride of Maharashtra with Hindutva. The history of the bifurcation of Maharashtra and Gujarat on a linguistic basis reveals that the Left had a bigger influence on the Sanyukta Maharashtra Andolan (movement for Greater Maharashtra), and the Congress was kin to balancing it. The Congress leadership, it is said, indeed did it by creating Shiv Sena. They effectively countered the CPI-led trade union movement in Mumbai. The founder of Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray had inherited the legacy of Prabodhankar Thackeray, a legendary figure of the social reform movement in Maharashtra. Thackeray never denounced the legacy of his father but, ironically, leaned towards the ideology of Savarkar, whom his father strongly despised. He was critical of Savarkar's being portrayed as a braveheart and dismissed Savarkar’s idea of creating violent groups to get freedom. He said that this movement could mobilize only a small section of the upper caste. He endorsed Mahatma Gandhi’s attempt at mobilizing the masses and bringing people from marginalized sections of society into the freedom movement.
Bal Thackeray adopted the lineage of Savarkar to give his movement a national character. For this only, he joined hands with the Bhartiya Janata Party. This is true: Uddhav has been introducing ideological changes in his party and gradually moving towards the political line his grandfather endorsed, but he is facing a lot of resistance from within. The party has been very closely identifying with Savarkar’s Hindutva in all these years and is not ready to imbibe the changes. This is why Uddhav has been reiterating his allegiance to Hindutva despite having embraced a broad secular politics. By condemning Rahul’s statement, he had done the same. In order to save the unity of the grand alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP, and the Congress against the BJP, veteran leader Sharad Pawar has also suggested Rahul Gandhi refrain from making anti-Savarkar comments. Pawar’s suggestion has something to do with Marathi pride. Savarkar, along with others, is considered an icon.
Many in the Congress are also said to have advised Rahul Gandhi to avoid such things and not allow the BJP to take political advantage. Would it be proper for Rahul Gandhi to step back on an ideologically important issue? Should he become soft on Hindutva and refrain from attacking Savarkar?
The current scenario of politics and society in India only testifies to the presence of the worst form of communal divide. The BJP governments at the center and in the states are pursuing policies that are discriminatory to minorities. In the name of anti-conversion measures, laws are being made to scare and oppress Muslims. Laws against the so-called love jihad can hardly be accepted in a secular and democratic country. These laws are against the basic principles of the Indian Constitution. They are extremely discriminatory against women as well. We have seen gruesome violence against Muslims in the past few years. Mob lynching and other kinds of violence in the name of cow protection remind us of the revival of medieval barbarism. All these are happening under the influence of Hindutva. Should Rahul Gandhi stop confronting the violence? Should he keep his eyes away from them? Being the leader of a political formation that not only led the freedom struggle but laid the foundation of Indian democracy after the country became free.
Some of the Congressmen are also exerting pressure. These are the people who should be held guilty of forcing the Congress to take a line that has resulted in this unprecedented situation in the country. The Congress has been avoiding taking Hindutva forces head-on. We have seen how Congress managers took Rahul Gandhi to temples and shrines to appease the majority community. This section wants the party to continue with the same policy. They must understand that this position only strengthens the BJP. The soft Hindutva weakens secularism. Not opposing the ideology of communalism amounts to endorsing it. The party cannot abdicate its responsibility of educating the people about the danger of the Hindutva. The country will go into chaos and anarchy, and we will lose whatever has been achieved after independence.
Rahul Gandhi need not succumb to the pressure of short-term political gains. He must attack the ideology of Hindutva.
(The author is a senior journalist. He has experience of working with leading newspapers and electronic media including Deccan Herald, Sunday Guardian, Navbharat Times and Dainik Bhaskar. He writes on politics, society, environment and economy)
