Dangerous Times

The key elements of fascism are very clear – hyper-nationalism; suppression of any form of dissent, often employing violent means by state sponsored and protected storm troopers; intertwining of religion and state; collusion of state and corporate power; scapegoating and brutal suppression of minorities; controlled mass media; suspension of law and order at will with authoritarian central figure of an autocratic government.  This is combined with a burning disdain for intellect and arts with anti-intellectualism celebrated and encouraged; it is a triumph of mediocrity.  Rampant cronyism and corruption in fascist states lead to destruction of democratic institutions and autonomous bodies.  The elements have been time-tested since the early twentieth century rise of fascism, which also manifested in overt militarism and sexism.  When we apply these measures to current political and social environment in India, it does not require much to see that India is going through the throes of early but strong fascist trends.  If not controlled by opposition parties and civil society, there is every possibility of India turning to a fascist totalitarian state.  It would be instructive to look at a few main elements carefully and see how the current BJP government has qualified on all key measures.

Hyper-nationalism: 

It is no secret that BJP drummed up a completely artificial, uncalled for nationalist hysteria where anybody opposing BJP or its policies was branded as anti-national.  The trolls and hired goons of BJP took to task anybody who dared to oppose BJP.  State became unified with nation; and an elected government sought an absolute submission from the population that elected it.  Students of JNU (Kanhaiyya Kumar, Omar Khalid and others) were caught in the cross-hair of this nationalist frenzy by merely raising their voice against the atrocities and anti-people divisive policies of the BJP government.  They demanded freedom from clutches of state controlled oppression in all forms.  This was construed as being anti-national and a massive propaganda was initiated against them with Central ministers in the forefront of leading this attack.  The students were slapped with sedition charges, a charge very serious in nature, often requiring evidence of use of violent means to overthrow the state.  It is a colonial legacy barely used in modern India, and was completely inapplicable to JNU students as many Supreme Court judges pointed out.  Still, the charge was pursued with all ferver by the state, and JNU was denounced as a hotbed of Pakistani terrorists with demands for its closure.  Barring a couple of exceptions, the compliant, corporate media fanned the frenzy.  People voting against BJP in state elections were accused of helping the neighboring country Pakistan.  This revealed rabid BJP nationalist supporters who carried the rhetoric forward by all means possible, and most vicious campaign was carried out in social media.  The nation was gripped in a war-like hysteria of nationalism.  One needed to wear his nationalism on his sleeve otherwise he was branded anti-national.  Central universities were demanded of foisting national flags on campus with an urge for “Bharat mata ki jai” chant.  It was a complete artificial distraction for a country facing some gravest problems of our times.  It is unprecedented in Indian polity.  When courts gave relief to JNU students, with other universities like Jadavpur and civil society coming out in massive protest that this nationalist wave was partly contained.  The state of war was somehow averted but the trends continue to be there.   

Suppression of dissent: 

One of the achievements of the current BJP government is clamping down on media and dissenters.  Immediately after the BJP assumed power in the Center, two rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare were killed in broad daylight by Hindu right wing forces.  The two men had devoted their lives fighting against superstition and obscurantism.  However, this stood in direct contradiction to what BJP stands for – Hindu mythology and superstition being key elements of its Hindutva ideology, and so the main proponents against it had to be eliminated.  No arrests have been made so far, all CBI could find was that the same motorcycle was used in both killings.  The media is nearly co-opted with the help of corporate power that bought and consolidated most of the media under one umbrella.  Journalist who dared oppose the diktats of their servile bosses were either victimized, silenced or removed from their jobs with full ignominy.  Barring a couple of exceptions, the media was forced by state to toe the line.  Anybody daring to bring forward the truth was to face unbearable consequences.  When prominent actor Aamir Khan, mentioned casually about rising intolerance, an unprecedented uproar, tirade and ad hominem attacks followed, engineered by the ruling BJP and its trolls.  BJP dropped the actor from government campaigns which he was doing for free.  The writers and artists who returned their awards (again, unprecedented in Indian history) in protest for intolerance were under severe attack by BJP and its goons.  They were humiliated, trolled, attacked in all possible ways.  BJP has given wings to a vicious political culture of name-calling, new to Indian polity.  People who question government’s policies or intentions are branded as ‘libtards’ or ‘sickulars;’ any journalist who dares question as ‘presstitude;’ a culture of ad-hominem has been made mainstream.  An atmosphere of fear has been allowed to develop, grow and circulate in the nation, where anyone who doubts, questions, has to be not only prepared for name-calling but must also necessarily fear for his very life.  BJP goons in fact beat up people at will, as witnessed in trial of Kanhaiyya with police being mute spectators.  The storm troopers of BJP mainly supplied by RSS have now become ubiquitous, and ever eager to get into action at slightest opportunity.  Dissent is not allowed; you pay the price of dissent by mental, emotional, psychological and bodily injury.

Intertwining of religion and state: 

In another first in Indian political history, the Prime Minister openly flaunts and follows his religion in public.  As a head of a secular state, he ought to keep his personal faith private, but that has not been the case; the Prime Minister has brazenly shown an overt participation in exclusive Hindu rituals, ceremonies and festivities.  The Prime Minister has virtually given Hindu religious leaders and fundamentalists elements a free hand, while guaranteeing full protection from the state.  The silence and inaction of Modi at heinous comments made by such figures show how he connives and tacitly approves of divisive and religious statements.  His coterie of ministers followed suit in giving most absurd and religiously divisive statements.  They have treated their public offices like a propaganda pulpit for their Hindutva ideology.  Sanctity of holding a public office either is incomprehensible to these ideologues or has been deliberately butchered.

Historians are united in conclusion that beef was always eaten in India especially in ancient India which is often cited by Hindu nationalists as the golden period of India.  However, beef was deliberately made a big issue and a false national debate raged over it.  In fact, religions like Buddhism emerged against ritualistic and violent Hindu religion that slaughtered cows and other animals for food and rituals.  Beef bans were introduced in BJP ruled states, taking away livelihood of thousands of people.  It is Hindutva being forced down the throat by state.  The real culmination of intertwining of state and religion is introduction of Yoga in public offices and public spaces, a special exercise routine of Hindu religion.  Prime Minister Modi campaigned UN to get an international Yoga day.  Internationally, it is strictly understood as an exercise routine, but we in India know that it has deep underpinnings of Hindu religious ideology, and such campaigns affirm the agenda of BJP of institutionalizing Hindutva.  There is this thinly veiled agenda of creation of a “Hindu Rashtra;” an idea nurtured and promoted by BJP’s parent organization RSS.  The move towards it has been quite steady.  One shameless attempt by BJP has been to co-opt our national heroes like Bhagat Singh, Dr. BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose into the Hindutva fold.  BJP has no heroes, its parent organization Hindu Mahasabha was active collaborator of British empire.  What common grounds do these national heroes have with BJP?  They stood against everything that BJP stands for now.  Even Patel banned RSS after Gandhi was killed by a Hindu fanatic Nathuram Godse.  BJP ministers have openly declared that saffronization is on agenda and it will happen for “India’s good;” the Hindutva agenda is being pursued with utmost vigor and passion.  Mythology, superstition and obscurantism have become mainstream replacing historical, archaeological and scientific facts.  

There is a deliberate effort to control and manipulate culture; Valentine’s Day was deliberately converted to “Matru-pritu” divas; state actively Hinduizing popular culture and plural traditions.  India under BJP is governed not by Constitution but by ideology.  It is on an agenda to co-opt all autonomous institutions by placing its own people in key positions.  There is constant interference of Ministry of HRD in central universities and UGC.  It removed prominent historians like Romila Thapar and Irfan Habib from NHRC, and has filled the commission with Hindutva ideologues, who are hardly recognized as experts in the field but can very well further the agenda of concocting and re-writing history according to Hindu myths.  It has not left alone even the mainstream cultural institutions in a blatant attempt of saffronization.  Some recent appointments by the government tell the story, Gajendra Chauhan as head of FTII, Pahlaj Nihlani as head of CBFC and to top it all, a cricketer Chetan Chauhan being made head of NIFT!  Pahlaj Nihlani openly admitted that he is a “chamcha” of his PM.  This is undermining of the institutions that have over the years evolved into independent entities.  A secular, disinterested state is being eradicated meticulously at every step.

Collusion of state and corporate power:

Modi’s Gujarat was rife with land-grabbing and displacing of farmers by giving their lands to big corporations like Reliance at throw-away prices.  The pattern is now for repeat on national scale.  Reliance owned by Ambanis spent undisclosed sums of money in campaign finance of Modi’s bid for power.  It was a show as never seen in Indian polity before; a completely US style election campaign with foreign PR agency hired for makeover of Modi’s image.    After Modi assumed power, all sops have been given to Reliance.  Adani, another major funder of Modi’s election campaign was facilitated a whopping loan of 5000 crores without blink of an eye.  On Swachh Bharat campaign, Modi himself claimed that government alone cannot do much, it needed active help from private sector.  Modi government has also openly declared that job creation is not government’s responsibility alone, and it sought partnership from private sector.  This is a far-cry from Nehruvian model of creating public sector industries that created jobs and developed the surrounding areas.  CAG had slammed Modi government in Gujarat in 2012 for undue favors to private sector that included Reliance Industries, Essar Steel and Adani Group, that caused the exchequer to the tune of 580 crores.  However, now with power at Center, these are minor details.  Election promise of bringing back black money evaporated without a trace.  To create a “positive business sentiment” businesses are being given free hand to profit from the poor, while funding for crucial sectors like education and healthcare is being cut.  The land bill from the previous UPA government, a real relief for the farmers was stalled by BJP as it wanted to remove protections for farmers in favor of big business.  The poor of India are being pushed into further destitution with pro-business bent of this government.  FDI which BJP vehemently opposed during UPA rule has now come out with the most liberal FDI program ever, opening strategic sectors like defence for 100% FDI.  Many other key sectors are included.  It is classical neo-liberalism, exercised by the government on its own people.  It is probably the first time that a head of state has no qualms in visiting corporate offices of big corporations like Facebook and Google, and tries to create personal ties with their CEOs.  Big businesses are being treated like partners with policy bent for their benefit and sops thrown at them.

When Raghuram Rajan started voicing his criticism of the state of affairs, intolerance and other issues, he became an eyesore for the BJP government.  It appears things came to a breaking point when he started cleanup of banks exhorting them to go after their biggest loan defaulters.  The way Modi government has arranged massive loans to its favorite corporate houses and cronies, it was clear that this move of Rajan was not going to sit well with the government.  His exit became certain, only the modus operandi had to be determined.  A dual attack was put in place.  While the government started cutting down the stature of RBI governor, from being equivalent to Minister of State to Cabinet Secretary or lower level; Subramanian Swamy from outside led a vicious personal campaign against Rajan that unethically questioned  his Indianness.  A panel was formed to search for the next RBI governor; all these machinations became unpalatable to Rajan, and he made the right choice of going back to academics than fighting for the second term.  Rajan, himself being an international celebrity in the world of finance, stabilized the downward spiral of Indian Rupee and gave economy some semblance of growth (though he strongly contested re-defining of GDP which artificially bumped up the numbers) had the shortest tenure any RBI Governor has had in the past.  He was trying to bring back money from big defaulters who cozied up to the BJP government.

Corruption and rampant cronyism: 

The UPA government’s reign was marred with corruption, and some major scams like 2G spectrum scam, Coal-gate scam, Commonwealth games scam etc. were uncovered.  These scams were revealed mainly after the UPA government implemented RTI Act.  The scams were an embarrassment for the UPA government, and it accepted as it was.  Court cases and other actions followed.  In contrast to that, the mega bash for BJP’s completion of two years in power was high on rhetoric for a corruption-free government.  In reality however, the corruption in BJP government has not gone down but has been institutionalized (West style); and the BJP government is not ashamed or embarrassed over major scandals that have occurred in short two years of its rule.  On September 30, 2014, Ministry of Consumer Affairs removed the licensing requirement, stock limits and movement restrictions on specified foodstuffs, basically reversing the order from 2002.  This tantamounts to removing the cap set on accumulating food commodities, which was meant to prevent hoarding of food stuff by middlemen.  This was further aided by continuing the exemption of customs duty on pulses.  The price of pulses and other foodstuff hit the roof within a year, reaching beyond common man’s reach.  Pulses, being the daily staple food of Indian family afforded new middle men profits worth thousands of crores.  There have been food inflation before, even bad monsoons but such high prices of staple food hint at the possibility of one company, or even a cartel causing it.  Maharashtra ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan made pointed digs at the current Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a “Rs 4,000 crore scam” of a similar nature, which could be part of a nationwide pulses scam.  Another scam almost worth 29,000 crores has been uncovered related to artificially higher prices of coal being passed on to electricity consumers across the country.  As many as 40 of India’s largest energy companies are involved including Adani Group, a special benefactor of Modi government. 

The bullet train project worth 90,000 crores was approved with much din and fanfare; less people know that it includes compulsory purchase of expensive parts from Japan up to 30% of the total cost of the project.  It is not diplomacy but hidden profit that made Japan give a soft loan to India, which also will be ultimately returned to Japan.  The train in Mumbai – Ahmedabad corridor will serve ultimately ultra-rich people who can easily afford other means of travel.  The Indian Railways used by common man, badly in need of an overhaul remains disdainfully neglected.  A poor country is going to pay for a tiny high-tech facility for ultra-rich people.  BJP-led states have been involved in bloody scams like Vyapam where hordes of eye-witnesses have been killed with impunity but the central government did not bat an eyelid.  Incidentally, Panama Papers has named Adani group among others like Indiabulls, DLF, Apollo Tyres for massive fraud and corruption.  Ambanis have been protected for their black money in Swiss banks.  Is the government willing to take any action on such corporate power houses?  The GPSC scam from Modi’s rule in Gujarat still remains unresolved with involvement of 20,000 crores.  With cronies becoming state benefactors and in key positions as mentioned before, the government suppresses any leak of corruption to the public. 

Cronies of BJP like Asaram Bapu are protected with broad daylight murder of witnesses that come up against him.  The entire might of the state power is protecting people like these.  Art of Living’s Ravishankar unabashedly refused to pay any fines for damage to environment for hosting his cultural fest on the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi.  A small fine compared to massive spending that went for his mega-show.  Who’s protecting them?  Modi and other prominent government dignitaries attended this massive quasi-religious show.  Maggi noodles, which is being consumed in India since decades was suddenly found unfit for consumption due to high levels of lead in it.  Incidentally, another crony, thug Baba Ramdev launched his company Patanjali selling noodles among other stuff.  Maggi remained banned till Patanjali got its foothold in market.    

Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs was explicitly involved in allowing Lalit Modi involved in IPL scam worth thousands of crores to flee India, but no action was ever taken against her.  Is it not corruption when Prime Minister Modi finds time to visit a new country every other week, again costing thousands of crores, draining exchequer?  One has lost count of his foreign trips now.  That too at a time when nation is facing the worst draught in decades, a crisis that behooves the head of a state to visit the affected areas but obviously visiting these places is one of the last priorities for Prime Minister Modi.  Constant interference in the workings of Delhi government also allude to high level of corruption where the attempt is to subvert a democratically elected government.  Unrelenting efforts are being made to overturn the state governments not led by BJP through egregious and extra-Constitutional means (Uttarakhand, a recent example).  This is probably the first time that a central government has been reprimanded by Supreme Court so often in such short period of time for adopting extra-constitutional means.  In the meanwhile rampant corruption continues in BJP ruled states of Karnataka, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.

Suppression of minorities:

Mohammad Akhlaq was killed by a mob on mere suspicion of the food he was eating.  He was suspected of eating beef.  Beef is widely eaten in India barring Hindi belt and a couple of Western states.  Mohammad Akhlaq always had freedom to eat whatever he wanted and had lived peacefully in the village dominated by Hindus.  However, after BJP’s assumption of power, that was not to be so.  He did not see the writing on the wall to mend his ways.  The thugs that killed him were largely outsiders who wanted to make an example of a person eating something which the majority religion in state’s interpretation did not approve.  An outrage ensued, but the main course of discussion remained confined to forensic report evaluation whether he was eating beef or not.  Not a word to punish the perpetrators who had lethally assaulted an innocent man for eating.  The forensic report came out to be mutton, but it was later manipulated to declare it as beef.  A Muslim sub-inspector in a small village was paraded with blackened face, he had of course no recourse as he himself represented state power.  Muslims and other minorities are increasingly made to realize their second class status, and are being forced to get homogenized in the vast Hindu fold.  Programs like “ghar wapasi” meaning returning to the Hindu fold (from being converted) were initiated by elected members of the government.  The right wing Hindu fundamentalists that include members from the ruling state are given all freedom to spew most divisive statements with no action taken against them.  The BJP ministers and other players openly call for Muslims to go to Pakistan, Christian missionaries to stop converting (it is hardly ever forced, people convert to flee horrors of Hinduism) as in their minds it is a Hindu Rashtra, with no place for our dearly held value of secularism.  A carefully calibrated atmosphere of fear is being fostered.  Suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University is another point in the case.  The reasons of suicide were not personal, but was a forced suicide through a series of events dictated by central minister directly interfering in university’s affairs.  Rohith was a PhD scholar from a very humble background; active in Dalit politics, intolerable for the ABVP faction in the university.  Initial false complaints against him were at first rejected by the university panel but later when central minister intervened, he was found guilty on all counts; and his academic career and life were virtually ruined.  There has been an uptick in targeted attack on Dalits, and the number of Dalit deaths have dramatically increased.  Dalits and minorities are targets for brutal suppression by this government. 

Prime Minister Modi has maintained a studied silence on all such issues.  Only on foreign lands, once in a while he pledges to uphold plurality of India but the lip service is again for his personal image; has nothing to do with taking any action against recidivist perpetrators.  Modi himself is the architect of Godhra riots in which BJP storm troopers were given free hand to kill, rape and maim Muslim population with suspended law and order; the police were instructed to not take any action while this mayhem continued.  This genocide earned him international rebuke and spurn manifested in visa denials from major countries (not that those countries are Godly themselves).  Ever since assumption of power, Modi government has managed to get every single accused police officer and other personnel actively involved in killing of Muslims out of jail and have been given plush postings.  What message does this send to minorities?  The message is in fact clear; fall in line with second class status or face extermination.  There are just too many skeletons in this closet rattling to get out.

Controlled mass media:

Modi was ahead in the game of propaganda than other Indian political parties and leveraged mass and social media to its full advantage.  With its main sponsor Reliance buying out almost every other media house and forming a single largest media conglomerate Modi had a field day.  Not only these media houses constantly hyped false achievements in Gujarat and persona of Modi but viciously attacked anybody who uttered even a word against Modi.  This takeover of mass media was startling and again unprecedented.  Even after elections, when Modi assumed power, they continued singing praises and selling false official rhetoric.  Anybody against BJP was branded as anti-national and media fanned the flames of polarization to its best.  BJP achieved polarization not only in terms of religion and caste, but also on nationalistic lines; this would not have been possible without a controlled media.  Massive undisclosed amounts of money from big Indian corporate houses and NRIs was spent to create an extremely aggressive media bent on promoting Modi and Hindutva.  As mentioned before, journalists taking a stand against this were silenced or thrown out.  This was combined with complete domination of social media with sleeper media cells of BJP dedicated to troll on Twitter, Facebook and comment sections of online media.  Most filthy, vile, vicious, false and personal attacks have been made by BJP trolls online, threatening and trashing one and all who dared speak a word against Modi.  Modi’s travels and other government sponsored trends are artificially escalated by fake comments which are not by real people but dedicated cells working 24/7 on online outlets.  Official falsehoods, obfuscation, lies and empty rhetoric have been the propaganda tool and central tenets of governance under Modi.  Nothing on the ground has been achieved with every real indicator showing negative trend.

The picture that emerges is of a totalitarian fascist state trying to take its roots in traditionally secular and tolerant India.  It is enthusiastically supported by hooligans, trolls and lumpen elements of society.  A state, fully in service of corporate power with no regard for fellow poor in millions who are becoming further and further entrenched in poverty and misery.  Rise of Modi aligns with rise of strong right wing across the world.  And Modi, true to his nature, has done well to align with the most right wing governments in the world, like Israel, contrary to traditional Indian foreign policy.  Modi chose to prostrate himself in front of the US with multiple visits, obsequious speeches; praising Vietnam war memorial, in a complete disregard for India’s historic opposition to the war and progressive international politics.  Both at home and abroad Modi has given terrifying signals for the direction of the country.  These are most dangerous times for India, and hopefully seeing these trends the constituencies in India will correct the course in future.