Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won India’s sixteenth general election in May 2014. BJP was also in power before under Late Atal Behari Vajpayee as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004. Vajpayee headed a coalition of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. But BJP’s coming to power, on its own strength, under Modi in 2014 was a watershed in the socio-political dynamics of the country.
Modi, then an unknown face in BJP, became the Chief Minister of Gujarat state of India in October 2001 by a stroke of luck. He remained in that chair until taking the oath of office of the Prime Minister of India on 26 may 2014. Subsequently in 2019 general election of India also, Modi-led BJP again came to power stronger.
Modi has been occupying constitutional positions in India continuously for 21 years, 13 years as Chief Minister of Gujarat state and next 8 years as Prime Minister of the country. Modi is from a poor and anonymous background. Thus, any political leader of the world can be envious of Modi’s political journey and rise.
BJP’s Hindutva oriented ideology is known to all across the world. BJP’s Hindutva is to own and promote India’s civilizational culture and heritage. But Vajpayee’s BJP-led NDA rule in India from 1999 to 2004 maintained the Nehruvian idea of India, which suppressed everything about India’s civilizational pride of India.
The Gujarat riot 2002, following the Godhra carnage, made Modi negatively famous across the globe. That later on helped him to consolidate Hindu support in his favor. The international criticism against Modi came from all corners of the world and indirectly helped Modi politically in India. The Indian and international Left-Liberal-Islamist-Woke cabal failed to understand that it actually played in the hands of Modi.
It is also true that the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government which came to power in India during 2004 and remained in power up to 2014, could not find any evidence to connect Modi with Gujarat 2002. The international Left-Liberal-Islamist-Woke cabal refuses to see this fact even today and is still crying for the blood of Modi. However, the world’s political leaders have understood the absurdity of opposing Modi, the Prime Minister of India, and accepted him with open arms.
During the last 8 years, Modi, as the Prime Minister of India, has achieved two of BJP’s three main Hindutva-wadi objectives of electoral politics in Hindu Majority India. Abolition of Article 370 and 35-A from Jammu and Kashmir and construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya are those two. The third unfinished task for Modi is the introduction of Uniform Civil Code by abolishing the Muslim Personal Laws.
Additionally, Modi has abolished the practice of Instant Triple Talaq of Muslim women, constructed corridor for Kashi Vishwanath Temple and enacted Citizenship Amendment Act to help settle in India the persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Islamic Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Hindus of India have also put claim on Gyanvapi Mosque in Banaras, which was constructed on a Shiv Temple by Muslim ruler. The issue is sub-judice now. Complete Indianization of Naval Ensign of the country and renaming of Raj-Path of new Delhi to Kartavya Path by Modi are recent additions to his Hindutva politics.
The Beating Retreat ceremony, observed on 29 January each year, was started in independent India in 1955. Since then, the British Christian hymn Abide with Me, which was a favourite of Gandhi, is being played by the Bands of Indian defence forces. Nehru government was too happy to carry the legacy of British colonialism in independent India. However, Modi government has permanently replaced this hymn by the famous Indian tune Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon.
Modi’s populist social programs cut across religious lines. Some of those are: building of free houses and sanitary latrines for the poor; providing electricity, drinking water and roads in rural areas; supply of free ration to the poor during Covid pandemic; supply of subsidized cooking gas to poor women, Ayushman Bharat Yojana for poor and opening of bank accounts and direct money transfer for poor people etc. Besides, some specific socio-economic programs are earmarked for Muslims also. So, Modi can’t be called anti-Muslim except by the likes of Rana Ayyub, Arfa Khanum Sherwani and Saba Naqvi et al.
Modi’s tagline of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikash, Sabka Vishwas (Together, for everyone’s growth, with everyone’s trust) is a master stroke of BJP’s Hindutva politics. It cannot be objectively rebutted, but it can also help in promoting the civilizational pride of India. Modi’s Vikash also includes discarding colonial and foreign influences on Indian civilization without resorting to anything remotely similar to Sar Tan Se Juda. And that Vishwas Modi has given to all, particularly Muslims.
Narendra Modi’s Hindutva approach is very subtle. He never makes any thunderous Hindutva-wadi speech or remark. He speaks very little and does not give interviews to the journalists. This he does intentionally to avoid manipulation of words and misquoting by the journalists to support Left-Liberal-Islamist-Woke cause in India.
Modi is the darling of Non-Resident Indians. Modi’s public speeches are very measured. In the election campaign, he can very easily connect with the masses. Though he publicly never utters Hindutva, but his open ‘civilizational pride’ for India speaks volumes about his Hindutva intention.
Modi’s civilizational pride for India is a subject that can’t be called immoral, illegal or unconstitutional. Modi also does not shy away from observing Hindu religious rituals publicly. Again, as per Indian Constitution, he is free to practice his religion and being the Prime Minister, he gets the media coverage also. Modi has been using the Indian Constitution to make it clear before the Indian Left-Liberal-Islamist-Woke cabal that the country is heading towards a Hindu Rashtra.
Modi has not only attracted a large section of political fence-sitting Hindus towards BJP, but an equally large section of Hindus, who were secular earlier, has also aligned with Modi’s BJP now.Such transformation only a Statesman like Modi could make.
At present, there is no BJP Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha from Muslim community. Indian Left-Liberal-Islamist-Woke cabal is critical of this. But how many Muslims have taken membership of BJP and how many can win election for BJP? In democratic set-up party membership and winning elections are of utmost importance.
BJP is not obliged to field Muslim candidates from AAP, SP, RJD or TMC as its own candidates in election to satisfy the stupidity of Indian Secularism. If Indian Muslims call BJP a ‘Hindu Party’, as they called Congress before 1947, then it is their problem. At least Modi is clear about this.
Unlike Pakistan, where Islam is loudly all-embracing, Modi’s Hindutva is a soft under-current of general type. This Hindutva does not divert attention from core developments of India. More than dozens of IIM, IIT and AIIMS have so far been established in different parts of India after Modi came to power in 2014. India’s Covid Vaccine not only saved tens of millions of Indians but also of many other countries.
In 2014, India was eleventh largest world economic power and now it is in fifth position ahead of Britain. Recent commissioning of India made aircraft carrier Vikrant is a milestone for Indian Navy. Modi, with his Hindutva, has also subtly struck at the root of Middle-Eastern Islamic Coloniality, which was carefully glorified by Nehruvian historians and compelled us to accept of that coloniality as holier than thou.
The recent shift in the policy of Modi-led BJP to bring the Pasmanda Muslims closer to BJP is not without questions from within BJP. Historically Pasmanda Muslims have been the foot soldiers of Ashraf Muslims in committing stone pelting, looting, arson, killing and rioting in India. There is no reason to believe that they will not be faithful to the violent demands of their creed in future either. In Islam religion and co-religionist come ahead of country and Kafir. BJP has to be very cautious about this new policy.
The Congress-led Left-Liberal-Islamist-Woke cabal of India calls Modi’s civilizational pride as Toxic Nationalism. But Majority Hindus of India has understood that love and respect for civilization of India is the real answer to the Evil Islamism and Hindu-persecuting Indian Secularism, they are fed-up with.
Congress, the grand old national level party and a dozen of other regional secular political parties of India are basically Muslim-centric, dynasty based and utterly corrupt. These parties are unable to contain BJP and are clueless about countering Modi’s Hindutva wave. To dislodge Modi is their collective wish.
But, the more they oppose Modi, the more anti-India and anti-Hindu they become. Thus, Modi is presently looming large as a political giant over India. Modi’s international identity, as a global leader, is also very obvious. It is not for nothing that some say that independent India has got the first Indian Prime Minister in Modi.
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About the author: Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee served in the Government of India for 35 years and retired as a Higher Administrative Grade Officer. After retirement from the service, he developed interest in writing on contentious issues and topics. His published books are (1) Politically incorrect Point of View, (2) Politics, Bong and Faith, (3) The Alternative Narrative, (4) The West Bengal Saga and (5) Political Islam and India. He presently resides in Kolkata and NCR.
