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06.04.2009 Feature Article

Integrity of India

Integrity of India
06.04.2009 LISTEN

According to Indian television pre-election opinion poll, Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may emerge as the single largest party with 144 seats, while the Congress may end up with 133 seats.

The India TV opinion poll gives 187 seats to the NDA and 178 seats to the UPA. However, parties like RJD, LJP and Samajwadi Party (SP) are featured in the Fourth Front section. If they support the UPA after polls, the combine may go up to 235, said the opinion poll.

The opinion poll also predicted very good results for the Third Front. They can win up to 120 seats and may even decide the fate of the next government. Interestingly, it has been predicted that Congress will gain in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Delhi and West Bengal. The poll gives BJP an edge in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam and Karnataka.


BJP and JD(U) will win maximum seats in Bihar, while the battle between BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP will be even in Maharashtra. The Congress may still half of the seats in Punjab. In West Bengal, Congress and TMC will gain good numbers of seats, but Jayalalitha's AIADMK front will sweep Tamil Nadu, says the opinion poll. The opinion poll predicted better results for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. They party may win 15 seats in the state. In West Bengal, the Congress-TMC combine will make strong inroads into the Left vote bank.

Meanwhile arch rival of BJP, on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making empty promises ahead of every election. Referring to the BJP promise of 35 kg rice/paddy at Rs. 2 to Below Poverty Line families every month, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said this had been promised to Karnataka ahead of the last Assembly elections, but had not been delivered yet.

In its first detailed critique of the BJP manifesto — two days after it was released — Mr. Mukherjee noted that barring references to Ram Mandir, Ram Setu, cleaning the Ganges, cow protection and Article 370, it was a copy of the Congress manifesto. “In a perfect example of competitive populism, they have only inflated the figures without any basis whatsoever.”

With the pre-poll opinion result, critics are seeing another BJP administration in India under the leadership of radical leaders like L.K. Advani. During its previous tenure, Bharatiya Janata Party established virtual reign of terror in the entire country with series of repressions of religious minority groups. Destruction of Babri Mosque although angered the Muslim voters in India, during upcoming election again, Muslim voters may finally put stamps on the BJP candidates at a much higher number than any previous years.


Indian Congress Party is continuing its campaign against BJP labeling it as extremely communal. Stung by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's attack on its senior leader L K Advani, the BJP accused him of indulging in 'communal politics' by reminding people about Babri Masjid demolition ahead of the elections.

BJP president Rajnath Singh said reference to the demolition amounted to 'instigating' a particular community on the eve of polls.

"We were surprised. It was not expected from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to say all this," the BJP chief said in an interview. He was commenting on the attack on Advani by the Prime Minister who had said that the BJP leader had played a 'prominent role in Babri Masjid destruction'.

"To remind people about Babri Masjid is vote-bank politics, communal politics. It is to instigate the sentiments of a particular community," the BJP chief said.


He insisted that the BJP disfavors 'polarization on communal lines' as it believes in the politics of 'justice for all and appeasement of none'.

The BJP also believes in taking along people of all religions instead of appeasing any particular section or community, he said.

"BJP stands for creating a sense of confidence and not sense of fear," Rajnath Singh said, alleging that the Congress was trying to create fear by projecting BJP as anti-Muslim.

Asked about BJP's views vis-a-vis Muslims, the BJP chief said, "they are citizens of India like anyone else".

When referred to the Prime Minister's contention that Advani is 'not fit' to lead the country, he shot back: "If Advaniji is not fit, then who is?"

When his attention was drawn to the reported anti-Muslim speech of BJP candidate Varun Gandhi in his constituency Pilibhit, Singh said Varun has denied having made those remarks and everybody should accept it.

Accepting Varun's argument that the tapes have been tampered with to malign him and the BJP, he said his party does not believe in the kind of comments that have been attributed to Varun in the CDs.

Singh insisted that his party does not believe in 'spreading hatred' or politics of religion, caste or creed.

Rejecting the Election Commission's advice to the BJP against fielding Varun in view of his reported hate speeches, Singh said it has 'no right' to say who should be the candidate of any party. He ruled out withdrawing Varun from the fray.

On BJP's key ally JD-U's demand for action against Varun, Singh said there can be 'difference of opinion' between partners but it would not affect the alliance.

Commenting on BJP and secularism, a section of Indian analysts say, is there a real secular country in the world? Either it is communism or some religion that is used to retain power or gain power. What happened in India is called reverse secularism and it can back fire over time. Is it really appropriate to reserve 5% jobs for a specific minority religious group? Well, BJP the so called right wing of India never did that. It is Congress that initiated the move in Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier Bharatiya Janata Party president L.K. Advani warned that India would not remain secular and would even cease to be India if its Hindu identity was undermined.


Commenting on Tamil Nadu state, Mr. Advani said, “BJP will raise its powerful voice against any attempts to dilute or erase the essentially Hindu identity and personality of Tamil Nadu - indeed, of India as a whole," he said. "We believe firmly and unreservedly in secularism but, equally, we hold that India is secular because of her Hindu ethos. In other words, India will not remain secular - indeed, India will not remain India as we know it and Tamil Nadu will not remain Tamil Nadu as the people of this great state know it - if this essential Hindu ethos and identity are undermined."

He said, "What is especially disturbing is their penchant to deride Hinduism and Hindu society. I wonder why they don't preach atheism to Muslims and Christians, and why they don't ever raise issues of social reform and social justice among non-Hindu communities. The time has come for the people of Tamil Nadu to boldly question those who think that, it is alright if someone says 'I am proud to be a Muslim' or 'I am proud to be a Christian', but it is downright communal and obscurantist if a Hindu says ''I am proud to be a Hindu''."

The BJP's ideology had three salient points, said Advani: commitment to nationalism, healthy regional pride and a belief that religion is the soul of India.

Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, while he was in Princeton in United States, wrote in Dhaka's leading newspaper, The Daily Star on July 24, 2003, “Although the BJP government has presided over the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in parts of India, it has suffered no consequences. On the contrary, BJP's main fundraising wing in the America, VHP, has opened 73 chapters in the US and enjoys tax-exempt status! VHP is a very powerful presence in the US. When the US Senate attempted to pass a resolution criticizing the Gujarat massacres, the VHP went into overdrive, and the US Senators backed off!”


Commenting to eminent columnist Praful Bidwai's remarks at a conference in downtown Philadelphia's sprawling Pennsylvania Convention Centre, organized by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and Muslim American Society (MAS) on July 5, 2003, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed wrote, “The BJP and the Sangh Parivar are upper class Hindu-led movements. Even former actress turned politician, Miss Jayalalitha, defended 1992 and 2002 Gujarat. BJP draws support even from the most modern and highly educated Indians of the Indian Silicon Valley. Mr. Bidwai lamented that in Mahatma Gandhi's own Gujarat, now polarized, the Mahatma, whom the world idolizes, is "hated;" the real hero is "tough" Sardar Patel! Mr. Bidwai cautioned that the BJP is succeeding in tainting the minds of the young. During interviews for admission into one of New Delhi's most selective and prestigious colleges, 65 per cent of the applicants named Hitler as their number one hero! Mr. Bidwai also warned of the BJP's hidden agenda against the Muslims. "In Utter Pradesh and West Bengal no party can win an election without some degree of Muslim support. By attempting to disenfranchise the Muslim voters through intimidation, the BJP wants to deny them political power." Stripped of political power, Indian Muslims will be really at the mercy of the BJP!”


According to Indian Express, the BJP manifesto for the Lok Sabha election released Friday (April 3, 2209) reached out to its core Hindutva constituency while detailing a series of good governance measures intended to be the template for the NDA's National Agenda for Governance that will be endorsed by its allies later this month.

The articulation of Hindutva issues in the document released on Ramnavami contrasts with the conciliatory agenda of the Vision Document of 2004 — the BJP, then leading the ruling NDA at the Centre, didn't come out with a separate manifesto.

The Vision Document, also released on Ramnavami five years ago, had said “it was committed to the construction of the Ram Mandir”, but that “it favored an amicable resolution of the issue through dialogue for starting a new chapter in Hindu-Muslim relations”.


In its 2009 manifesto, the BJP says: “There is an overwhelming desire of the people in India and abroad to have a grand temple at the birth place of Sri Ram in Ayodhya. The BJP will explore all possibilities, including negotiations and judicial proceedings, to facilitate the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya”.

Pakistani journalist S. Naqvi advised Muslims to stop ganging-up against any political party or alliance and vote for any political parties led by 'enlightened' Hindu leaders as he finds no 'enlightened' Muslim leader today!

As an Indian, like many others, who always support our country to be a proud secularist nation in the world, I do not see anything good for our nation if an utra-Hinduist party like BJP gets into power. The core value of independence of India was deep rooted in secularism ideology. Moreover, for the sake of the independence and integrity of our nation, secularist forces should be in administration. But for sure, not those so-called seculars like Congress.

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