CURRENT INDIAN POLITICAL THOUGHT----Nature Of Challenges To Egalitarian And Secular Ideologies

Struggles against inequality and exploitation have been launched in various forms since the beginning of civilization. The rise of religions like Buddhism in northern India in the sixth century B.C. was, in fact, the first challenge to brahamanical social order based on rigid unequal social order. However, egalitarian ideas in the pre-modern periods remained with in the confines of the religious domain. Buddhist, bhakti and sufi sects provided a liberal and humanitarian interpretation to the orthodox religious beliefs and pleaded for more humane treatment to the downtrodden people.

It was only with the rise of Renaissance and reformation movements in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the political economy of capitalism that provided the secular foundations to struggles for freedom and equality. Religious for all persons, separations of state from religious activities, rule of law. Overthrow of privilege-based on equality and freedom have been the foundation of nationhood in modern times. Political stability in the western countries and their economic progress largely is largely due to national consensus on these values. Equality (legal, political and social) and freedom are the dogmas in the west today. Secular political democracy is deeply entrenched there and the only agenda for their politics is economic growth.

However in the developing countries the ideals of secularism and democracy are very nascent. Anti-imperialism had provided the basis for nationhood till the collapse of the Soviet Union. Secularism and democratic ideals of freedom and equality have been consciously adopted as strategies for consolidation of nation state. Anti-imperialism, secularism and egalitarianism together alone can provide the foundation for nation-state, democracy and development in the developing countries. This has been the essence of Nehruvian model and the philosophy of the Indian Constitution. The preservation of national unity and parliamentary democracy in India for over five decades has largely been due to political development guided b the troika of anti-imperialism, egalitarianism and secularism.

The collapse of the Soviet Union, along with the collapse of Communist model of development, and the rapid expansion of globalization had led to erosion and withering away of the ideologies of anti-imperialism and egalitarianism all over the world. Despite a very complex relationship between power and ideology one thing is very clear that without power its corresponding ideologies find it very difficult to survive. With the buoyant global capitalism in the uni-polar world led by the USA the progressive and pro-people rationalist ideologies are on the retreat.

In the troika mentioned above the ideologies of anti-imperialism and egalitarianism have been discredited under the spell of capitalist propaganda and the secular ideology has been left alone to struggle for its survival. The capitalist propaganda has succeeded in replacing the Non- aligned agenda of New International Economic Order by the agenda of globalization and replacement the goal of egalitarian social order by the manta of growth and efficiency. All this has led to the systematic withdrawal of state from all sectors of social development and the consequent weakening of secular fabric of socio-political order.

With the loss of political power by the progressive social forces the ideology of progress has suffered a setback and attempts are on to subvert the very meaning of development and secularism. The global menace of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism of Al-Qaida and the present upsurge of Hindutva’s majoritarian communalism in India may be viewed within this context. Al-Qaida has justified its global terrorism as a fight against domination of the West and Hindu aggressive communalism has sought its justification in the majoritarian response to cross-border terrorism being launched in the name of Holy Jehad. Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism is trying to occupy the international political space vacated by the ideology of anti-imperialism and the social reactionary and communal forces are bent upon occupying the domestic political space in India vacated, a least temporarily, by the Indian National Congress.

Fundamentalism of any religious denomination is essentially fascist in character, as it demands conformist behavior patterns on the part of the members of its religious community. The attempt to impose a dress code, cultural policing, tampering with the History text books with the help of hand picked loyal scholars, substituting myths for history and the latest distinction by Vishwa Hindu Parishad between secularists and pseudo-secularists. Hindus and pseudo-Hindus smell of the fascist agenda of Sangh Parivar.

Fundamentalism is also thoroughly opposed to egalitarian values and gender equality. It is not incidental that the Sangh Parivar had opposed the Hindu Code Bill and reform of exploitative Hindu social institutions. They legacy of Brahminical social order id inalienable from Hindutva. The BJP-BSP alliance in U.P. and the latest attempt by the BJP to project B.R. Ambedkar as being opposed to Muslim through its manufactured lies is not able to wash off its Manuvadi roots. Instead, these only affirm the irrevocable marriage between communalism and privilege based unequal social order. Communalism in its latest avatar in the post-mandal Indian politics seems to be a clever ploy to hide the anti-egalitarian and anti-democratic agenda of conservative social elites. It was for these reasons that communal forces among both Hindus and Muslims did not take part in the freedom movement and, instead were competing with each other in hobnobbing with the British imperialism in order to win their favour. Today also Indian and Pakistani establishments are competing for favor from US imperialism. Despite history and ideology being against them, the BJP has been emboldened by its successful communal polarization in Gujarat. The plus points on its side are: the passive acceptance of BJP’s domination by power and perks hungry NDA allies, clarity regarding ideological and political objectives in the strong network of cadre based faternal organizations, political cynicism and a political character of the middle classes and the advantage of having its control over the state apparatus at the Centre. The secular are unfortunately divided on the matter of power sharing, lacking clarity of vision and political objectives, little orgainisational base, ineffective propaganda machinery and hangover of anti-secular and communal forces on the matters of economic policy have further narrowed their ideological distinctiveness.

Communal polarization of the Indian society has been the most important item on the political agenda of the BJP since the days of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Janasangh. After success in this Endeavour in Gujarat they are talking of repeating post-Godhra experiment in other parts of the country. Its attempt to demonize the whole minority community with the blessing of the prime minister has posed the real threat of Nazi type of terror of the state. Fascism shall deny rights and liberties to all citizens though it may begin with minorities.

Complacent attitude of the intelligentsia and the middle and upper classes is really disappointing. How long their political cynicism will continue to provoke the political space to the BJP and cause irreparable damage to the society and politics of India? Will the intelligentsia and the middle classes awake to the grave danger?