Fading Secularism

A face-off between majoritarians and egalitarians, between the Sangh Parivar and secular-liberal parties, has been a long time coming. The 2014 election may have turned the tide, but the build-up began close to a century ago. The RSS was founded in 1925. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was founded in 1952. The BJP was founded in 1980. Considerable gains were made by the Hindu Right during the Ram Janambhoomi movement, climaxing in the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in December 1992 and nationwide Hindu-Muslim rioting.

 

The National Democratic Alliance, headed by the BJP, had its first substantial stint in government from 1998 to 2004. Seen in this chronology, Hindu nationalism punctuates the entire 20th century at intervals of 20-30 years, but it is never able to decisively transform the mindset of most Indians. Even today, when the BJP polled 31 per cent of votes cast, commentators  do not agree whether it is the party's Hindutva face or its face of economic growth that appealed to voters.

 

Results, however, speaks volumes. Support for saffron in 45 of 87 Muslim strongholds. The BJP has won more than half the 87 Lok Sabha seats across the country with a high percentage of Muslim voters, with most of the gains concentrated in the politically crucial states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

 

So the question now is what is happening in West Bengal with 30% Muslim population?

 

The 30% Muslim population figure is debated over. It is a widely held view that Muslims now constitute 50% of the population and in areas like Malda, Murshidabad and so on, Hindus have become a minority. This huge population is the target of appeasement from the ruling TMC and Mamata Banerjee does not leave any stone unturned to woo the vote bank.

 

Vast sums of money is poured into this community in the name of Sachar report. The money is poured into madrasas and breeds a radical and not the enlightened. As the Burdwan blast has shown, the Muslim community is becoming more radical and more insular looking than ever. As trucks and buses roll out to support the conversation of illegal madrasas on Esplanade on a crisp Saturday morning, the rumours of communal violence in the state is a deep felt concern.

 

Though the talk of communal violence is West Bengal is swept under the carpet, the stirrings are being felt in every Hindu heart. This is a new phenomenon in West Bengal. And with a show of strength and violence on Kolkata roads, it is more than just a premonition.

 

Fear of violence goes both ways. As a small but growing Muslim populace realize the need for true development and a way out of the ghettos, they are turning to the BJP for support and more importantly for protection against the hooliganism of the TMC. They too realize the need for better education and growth opportunities and not just vote bank politics. They are also awakening to the fact that their leaders have been selling them out to the highest bidder for personal gains over the years. So while religious leaders are held in esteem, the high point is that the Muslim population is no longer just swayed by religious and ethnic reasons.

 

Nationalism being the key argument and development being the key motivator of the BJP, it is attracting a vast array of the Hindu and Muslim population in West Bengal.

 

But, is the dream of a Hindu Rastra dead? Or has it evolved? How does this equation play out in modern day elections and road side realities in West Bengal?

 

You, the reader, can only answer...