Politics of deception breathes lies. Without lies, it will choke to death.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s project to establish that Rahul Gandhi condemns Hinduism as a violent religion is unviable. No matter how many central ministers and BJP leaders fuel this propaganda that the Congress leader said in the Lok Sabha that Hindus indulge in hate and violence, the truth is that Rahul was saying exactly the opposite.
He said Hindu scriptures and philosophy advocate truth, fearlessness and non-violence but “those who call themselves Hindu” – the reference being to the Sangh Parivar – indulge in lies, hate and violence. When the Prime Minister got up to underline the gravity of the matter because the Leader of Opposition had described Hindus as “violent”, Rahul fiercely contested him, declaring that RSS, BJP and Modi do not represent the whole Hindu society.
This is not the first time Rahul has dealt with the subject.
Also read: Why is Rahul Gandhi differentiating between Hinduism and Hindutva?
He has been constantly explaining the difference between the political Hindutva espoused by the RSS-BJP and the religion that Hinduism is. He knows that the RSS-BJP has created an abnormal situation by misusing religion for politics and mischievously projecting its rivals as anti-Hindu.
Rahul also knows the Congress will have to smash this falsehood that it is anti-Hindu and pro-Muslim and hence he delves into this risky territory, hoping to remove misconceptions from voters’ minds. He knows the people who supported BJP on presumptions like a strong economy and robust nationalism have seen through the façade and now its vote-bank comprises only those who are fascinated by the idea of Hindu dominance. Rahul is addressing exactly that segment of the society, explaining to them that the BJP isn’t the sole custodian of Hindu interest and, in fact, it has only misused and defamed Hinduism for political power.
The voter who is aligned with the BJP only on the belief that it represents Hindu interest is found everywhere.
This writer found an old woman in a village in Bhojpur in Madhya Pradesh during the assembly election, who was seething with rage over the BJP government’s performance. She spoke against their corrupt leaders, unemployment and high prices of essential commodities, raining down curses on both the Union and state governments. But when asked about her vote, she said, “People say Muslim rule will come back if we vote for Congress. So, the vote will go to these undeserving people.”
Another old man in Delhi, a retired librarian who conceded that the Modi government was a disaster, told this writer, “But how can we vote for Rahul Gandhi? He has taken a vow to finish off Hindu religion.” Asked how he knew about that, he confessed the information came on his WhatsApp, lamenting that the Congress had become a party of Muslims.
There are countless victims of false propaganda. A young IT professional admitted that the Congress was better equipped to handle economy and even international affairs but hastened to add, “But what about Hindu pride? The Congress begins Muslim appeasement and ignores Hindu interest.”
Rahul Gandhi, with a photograph of the Hindu deity Shiva in his hand, was addressing such people who are convinced that the Congress is anti-Hindu. Rahul was giving a strong antidote to this malaise; he had to activate a dormant truth to trample down the masquerading lie.
But Rahul has to preserve the legacy of secularism. So he took care to show the photographs of religious heads of all religions. Critics who condemn Rahul for using the religious metaphor, as he repeatedly invoked Shiva, must know his tenor and content was strictly secular. The stark difference between Modi and Rahul cannot be overstated; while Modi has presented himself as the custodian of one religion while taking subtle and crude antagonistic positions on Muslims every now and then, describing them as infiltrators and those who produce more children, Rahul has never spoken against any religion. He has always insisted that every religion preaches moral values and harmonious existence. BJP leaders, on the contrary, not only weaponised the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan and used it as a war cry against Islam, they rarely talk about equality, secularism and peaceful coexistence.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi Writes to LS Speaker After Portions of His Maiden Speech as LoP Expunged
What Rahul did in the Lok Sabha on July 1 was nothing new; he has been at it for long.
Speaking at the inaugural function of Congress party’s training programme at Wardha in Maharashtra through video conference, he had said, “What is the difference between Hinduism – as we know it – and Hindutva? Are they the same thing? Can they be the same thing? Is Hinduism about beating a Sikh, or a Muslim? Is Hinduism about killing Akhlaq? Hindutva, of course is. Where is it written that religion is about killing an innocent man, I am unable to find this.”
Insisting that the Congress ideology if explained properly to the masses can wipe out the hate agenda, he said, “I have read the Upanishad, I have not seen it. Where is it written that you should kill an innocent man? I am unable to find this in any Hindu scripture or even in Islamic scripture or in Sikh scripture. I can see it in Hindutva.”
He conceded that Congress ideology was overshadowed by the hateful RSS ideology. “It has been overshadowed, partly, because of a complete capture of the media, a complete capture of the Indian nation, but, it has also been overshadowed, because we have not propagated our ideology among our own people aggressively.”
Describing the Congress ideology as an ocean, reflecting the wisdom of thousands of years of Indian life processes, Rahul said, “You can start with Shiva, Kabir, Guru Nanak… these were ideas what we stand for. Gandhi is very good example. So, these are people who have stood for and we have to deeply study what they were saying. Is there something common between what Guru Nanak said or Kabir said and Hindutva ideology? Is that something in common between what Gandhi said or King Ashoka said and Hindutva ideology?”
He was subtly arguing that the RSS-BJP claim of representing Indian-ness was false and their ideology was antithetical to traditional Indian culture and philosophy. He said this bluntly in parliament, declaring that the RSS-BJP people were not Hindu.
Rahul has, in the past, also talked about the significance of compassion, truth and non-violence which constitute the core of Hinduism. He wrote an article a few months ago, saying, “A Hindu looks at herself and everyone in this ocean of life with love, compassion and respect because she understands we are all swimming and drowning in exactly the same waters. She reaches out and protects all the beings around her who are struggling to swim. She is alert to even the most quiet anxiety, the most silent scream. This action and duty to defend others, especially the weak is what a Hindu calls her Dharma. Listening for and acting on behalf of the world’s invisible worries through the prisms of truth and non-violence.”
Though a serious debate on these subjects is almost impossible in this era of soundbite journalism and propaganda-driven politics, Rahul chose to put down his thoughts on the paper, arguing, “She (a Hindu) loves all living beings and accepts that each one of them has the right to choose their own path to navigate and understand the ocean. She loves, respects and accepts all paths as if they are her own.”
Subtly attacking the false “Hindu khatre mein hain (Hindus are in danger)” narrative crafted by the Sangh Parivar, Rahul wrote, “A Hindu has the courage to look deeply into her own fear and to embrace it…And never ever allows her fear to capture her and turn her into a vehicle for anger, hatred or violence.”
Distortions of a sentence or two cannot override the philosophy of a leader. Rahul inherits a glorious legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarvepalli Radha Krishnan; a legacy that rests on a robust intellectual tradition and ethical politics. He does not follow the teachings of V.D. Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar that advocate hate, discrimination and violence. Unlike Savarkar and Golwalkar, Gandhi and Nehru believed in peaceful coexistence and religious harmony, and had a vision of secular India that celebrates pluralism. Modi and the RSS carry an ideological baggage that creates an intrinsic disability for them; it will be almost impossible for them to prove that Rahul believes the tenets of Hinduism promote violence while their Hindutva rests on peace and harmony. History and character do not change at will.
