Doing it the Indian way

In all BJP offices you will invariably find pictures of two gentlemen who are unfamiliar to first timers. They belonged mostly to the middle of the last century and did not become ministers at any level, leave alone prime ministers. What was in Dr. Syama Prasad Mookherjee and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya that stirred men for generations and held a political party that came to power in the fag end of the 20^th Century in such awe and respect? Did they promise economic freedom and material prosperity alone that would provide succor to the young nation? They had something more that appealed to the emotions that inspired people to keep ‘the flame’ alive for more than half a century. Ideology is not just that appeals to rational mind, it touches the heart and that arouses strong sense of pride.

Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay laid out the brilliant treatise of ‘Integral Humanism’ which provided customized guidance to the Indian society. It was accepted as the BJP’s guiding ideology – the one that was truly Indian. ‘Hindutva’ was a child of ‘Integral Humanism’ and the creator himself referred to it as ‘Bharatiyata’ or ‘Indianness.’ Terming ‘Hindutva’ to mean ‘Hindus only’ is as childish as saying that the venerable newspaper ‘The Hindu’ is pro- Hindu.

In the raging battle in BJP intelligentsia on whether to abandon ‘Hindutva’ or firm up ‘Hindutva’, no one has professed the real solution, which would be clarify the oft maligned word and give it the original intended meaning. In fact all the party leaders and thinkers should either individually or collectively come out with a paper, clearly expostulating the ideology. This would not only solidify the binding glue that is force majeure of the party, it would give clarity of thought to the party’s new leaders and also let the public know about what they mean when they say that.

As one of the political journalists put it, BJP suffers from ‘etymological obstacle’ with Hindutva. It is not just because people are narrowly interpreting it, but the leaders find it convenient to use the word to refer to theocratic nationalism to gain cheap votes. What Varun Gandhi practices is not Hindutva. It is communalism, thuggery and divisive politics which have no place in Pandit Updhyaya’s theory or the Hindu hearts. For the ‘Hindus only’ interpretation to dissolve, the leaders would do well to use ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Bharatiyata’ concurrently to explicate the actual meaning in public debates in the media.

As India gains economic prowess and stature, being Indian has become a matter of pride. Especially to the young generation that is unfettered with socialism or history, preaching ‘Indianness’ will be a saleable strategy. People will be able to subtly appreciate the nuances of ‘Hindutva’ that way which will be doing the greatest service to the ideology and the founder. ‘Indianness’ will not only woo Hindus, but all Indians – Muslims, Christians, OBCs included as the theory in itself is timeless.

Having rediscovered the essence of Hindutva, the party should improve up on it to suit the times we live in. It should integrate economic welfare, national prosperity and security in to Indianness. By amalgamating economic thought to the political and societal ideology BJP will have a 21^st Century theory to influence public debate.

The party should enter propaganda stage as soon as possible. It should clarify through media constantly and consistently on what they are and why people should support them. Politicians know well that societal changes are slow to come and people take time to assimilate new ideas. So BJP should not wait for the next elections to come out with the proposition and make it look like election time gimmickry.

For such rationalizing, the party needs to be open to critical enquiry. Just shunning uncomfortable arguments, even from people who have worked very hard and given it all, is pitiful. It should rid itself of the high school attitude and address issues strongly and confidently. At the same time impulsive supporters should empathize with the situation and get set in problem solving mode than going public with what is wrong. At the time of defeat more than the content of articles, the attitude of finger pointing is not helping anybody. The leaders should stand united and deliberate things on the way forward with true courage and team spirit.

Some analysts that refer to the right of centre position being open for the BJP to occupy do not appreciate the unique Indian position. Economically, India is in such a stage in its growth trajectory where pure right wing, pro-business policies will not make much political sense (case study – NREGA). In the religious sense given India’s diversity any pro-religion strategy is doomed to fail (case study – Election 2009). BJP can clearly position itself as a nationalist party.

When ideology merges with a strong organization and sleek execution the BJP can be rebuilt to suit modern India. The raw materials are there. It just takes sweat and guts to build it from here. When the strong organization is built fighting elections becomes easier and more efficient. When you are process oriented the results are bound to come.

We live in times of ‘India Rising’ and we need a party that does profess doing things the Indian way. Atalji’s immortal words, “Andhera chhatega, Suraj nikhalega, Kamal khilega” can definitely become a reality yet again.

Vande Mataram!