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Indian democracy is quite often about the politics of visibility, the image most often replacing the substance. Political parties celebrate their leaders, both living and dead, in huge newspaper advertisements that cost an enormous amount. For leaders who have passed on, there is usually a remembrance on their birth and death anniversaries whereas in the case of serving politicians just about any occasion is an excuse to indulge in an extra splash of image building.
In recent days, the clash of ideologies and personalities of India past and present has been playing out even in the ad space with the BJP and the Congress marking anniversaries that commemorate critical milestones in India’s democratic journey. Loud and characteristically in your face was the advertising blitzkrieg unleashed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to mark the second anniversary of the Narendra Modi regime (May 26). And there was a twist. Most of the fulsome tributes came from party chief ministers in BJP-ruled states who, like the vassals of yore, lauded their chieftain for his ‘outstanding governance’ or ‘great achievements’ or the ‘innumerable achievements’ of his ‘charismatic and visionary leadership’. So we know who picked up the tab for this anniversary extravagance apart from the government of India.
A day later, there was a much smaller ad — and very few of them — in memory of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary. That commemoration did not come from the government of India as it should have; it was put up by the Congress party. This was all of a piece with the policy of the BJP regime which is trying to obliterate Nehru’s memory and legacy in mission mode, and not just because of his staunch ideological opposition to the politics of communalism. That legacy of his which kept India on the secular path for decades is being whittled away by a ferocious political campaign and in unsavoury ways by the saffron underbelly of the party.
Hindutva’s loathing of liberals is a spillover from the time of Nehru whom they view with rage and envy.
An entire online industry has sprung up to promote websites that spew venom against India’s first prime minister with gross calumny while its army of Internet trolls flood social websites with misrepresentations that only reveal their lack of history and culture.
It is undoubtedly galling for the BJP and its ideologues in the parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, that they can flaunt no heroes of their own from the freedom struggle. That they did not take part in the freedom movement is a historical truth they cannot undo. On the other hand, they have to contend with a Nehru who spent close to nine years in prison and was once paraded in chains by the British.
That is one reason why the Hindu supremacist BJP resents Nehru and the liberal, secular Indians who subscribe to his ideals. The most irksome is Nehru’s known opposition to religious fundamentalism which, like poverty, he believed to be the worst scourge of the country. But there are clearly more reasons for the Hindutva brigade’s implacable hatred of the man who steered India in the first 16 years of its independence, an extraordinary stint that was marked by visionary successes and some profound failures.
At the simplest level it is, perhaps, a class issue. Nehru was British-educated and patently Westernised even if he wore khadi and a Congress cap along with his trademark bandhgala — Modi’s attire, incidentally, is a flattering imitation of this attire, down to his churidars — and he was suavely cosmopolitan. He wrote and spoke in elegant English and he was comfortable in the company of women. To add to his aura was wealth which he gave away, a fact that the class of people who subscribe to the saffron ideology probably find astonishing. Besides, he mattered greatly in the global scheme of things.
Read: Saffron assault on Indian campuses
Today, when liberals ask why they are the target of the saffron brigade, the answer could be that for the most part they come from a similar background and champion the values that Nehru held dear. At least that comes across as a major grouse with the saffron lobby if you read their blogs and other online rants. But there are obviously deeper reasons for the growing chasm between the secular opponents of the majoritarian principles pushed by the Modi regime and the supposedly rooted Indian who prefers the vernacular, is proud to belt out Bharatmata ki Jai (victory to Mother India) and is above all a proud Hindu.
As the saffron ideology becomes increasingly popular, specially with the middle class, there is a marked inability in the ranks of secular society to come to terms with this phenomenon. Their antipathy to Hindutva is also marked by a similar revulsion tinged with derision. Where, they ask, are intellectuals of repute who can make a persuasive case for the country’s rightward shift? Why does the BJP and its brotherhood of saffron suffer from such a striking intellectual deficit? They have no historians or even Sanskritists of repute. They might have some economists in their retinue but certainly no thinkers with a compelling vision for the country’s future.
One way for the Modi men to understand why Nehru’s legacy endures would be to understand his towering vision for the country. To start with they could peruse Nehru: The making of India, published in the centennial year of his birth (1988). The book is long but easy to read and it shows why Nehru is still important to the idea of a modern India. “His most important contribution in a life full of contributions was a clear establishment of a vision in which to lift India from the 18th century towards the 21st,” explains M.J. Akbar, the author, who repeatedly emphasises Nehru’s conviction that communalism was the worst evil facing independent India.
“Having watched religious emotions play havoc with the unity of the country and the people, to stand up and take positions against what might be called fundamentalism, to seek to define a new language by saying that the steel mills and the dams were the temples of modern India, this required conviction, courage and the confidence that swaying them with religion was not just wrong but injurious ... these were remarkable convictions that shaped India.”
The author, once a Congressman, now has clout in the BJP. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of parliament) and is national spokesman of the party. If he could he persuade Modi and his cabal to read his book, would it change the disastrous trajectory of current politics?
The writer is a journalist based in New Delhi.
Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2016
Comments (53)
Ma'm, A drunkard father is respected when his son contributes to society, but even a scholar father is ridiculed when his son becomes an anti-social element. Similarly, Nehru's memory is being erased not by BJP, but by Congress party, led by Nehru-Gandhi family and which claims his legacy. By becoming a synonym for corruption, Congress party has evaporated the visions of Nehru. BJP is just filling the vacuum. Had Congress continued the good work, do you think BJP as a political party would stand a chance ?
Regarding scholarship be careful for what you wish for. Jaswant Singh (who has been now sidelined by the BJP), Ayesha Jalal (Pakistani liberal), Perry Anderson (Western marxist historian) and many others have concluded that Nehru bears the primary responsibility for partition of India. Other scholars have pointed out as to how Nehru sabotaged the investigation behind the (fake) death of Netaji Subhash Bose and was also instrumental on spying on his family. Finally there is also strong evidence that Nehru's arrogance and gaps in knowledge resulted in the horror-some defeat of India at the hands of the Chinese. Having scolded the Americans for so long he was reduced to pitiful begging for arms. After 1962 his standing in India and in the international arena was close to zero.
regards
Nehru always looked at the stars, his lifestyle was the result of the his exposure to western influences from young age. He never had his feet on the ground and India suffered. Modi is far better in this aspect
I admired Nehru. In 1947 in Madras's Gymkhana polo rounds I first listened as a six year old to Nehru In 1954 I sat with my parents in Aminudaula Park in Lucknow and listened to his inspiring speech again. He was at heart an Anglophile because in his speeches it became apparent that he formulated his thoughts in English and then spoke in Hindustani in garbled syntax. Lately his legacy is being tarnished, what with the Subhash Bose papers being released implicating him and the Congress Party colluding with the British in undermining Bose and his INA. The author ignores the fact that in actuality it was Sardar Patel who had been nominated as the party chief and if it had not been Mahatma Gandhi's role in choosing Nehru over Patel India's arc of democracy and the country's evolution would have been much different. There would never have been a Kashmir problem and the state in its entirety would have become part of India just like Hyderabad, the present day Telengana.
Issues is not Nehru but why only one family...
The authors observations are right to a certain extent, BJP is certainly trying to spread hindutva. This will not work as majority of Indians are secular. If you look at the political spectrum, except BJP and Shivsena ideology of majority of the political parties are secular. BJP has partnered with regional parties like Akalis, TDP, AGP and other small parties. The DNA of these parties is secular. These parties joined hands with BJP for political gains, not for spreading hindutva. If one looks at 2014 elections BJP got 30+ percent of vote share. Congress was completely inundated in corruption, even I voted for BJP to improve economy and certainly not for religious politics. Mark my words, the day BJP deviates from development agenda people will throw them out.
At the outset,i would like to confirm that i am a apolitical person who reads and thankfully has the intellect to analyse the right Vs wrong. The author of this article is talking absolute rubbish when she mentions about tolerance and the BJP government. She must have become observant since last Two years as before that the vote hungry government never believed in Secularism but only in psycho - secularism by siding with some assured vote banks.
Last government along with the writer also did not believe in Common Civil Code or by carrying out a survey to identify weaker sections by their earnings and not by their caste or religion.
The liars have ruled the nation with engaging in false propaganda thereby actually harming the nation. Modi govt has been given 63% mandate by the surveyed population for their good governance over the last two years.
There has been progress on all fronts and such propaganda by proxy of some will not affect the march of the nation ,at all.
Congress never remembered Bhakat Singh, Subhash Chander and others who gave their life for this country but BJP did so what is your point on this? Why should BJP remember a member of other party?? It is congress job not BJP's.
So much venom!! Most of your reality is a figment of your imagination.
This model is working better than any other has worked for India in the past. The voices( mostly disgruntled journalists) who seek to derail growth and development by raking up issues conveniently are mouth pieces of the previous government which is getting exposed with every passing day that the BJP stays in power. Suffice it to say Modi govt. has done more in the last 2 years than the previous govt.'s did in 50 years.
This is congress propaganda rejected by Indians but finds it way to Pakistan!!!
Great Article and an eye opener who are still living in fools paradise.
If liberal democracy is not there, she must have been in jail by this time...
@NORI agree with you..
Nehru turned out to be a nothing more than a bad economic with socialist mumbo jumbo, and a promoter of his own family members, including his daughter. The irony of it - a freedom fighter par excellence, ending up like a tin pot dictator promoting his daughter - go figure. What a shame.
The Nehru dynasty has misruled India for decades - all their secular credentials just a sham for becoming a power hungry cabal bent on nepotism. What does the writer have to say for that - just nothing, for she has no leg to stand on. Hence the attacks on a non-English speaking bunch in BJP, who have more in common with the people than Nehru and his clan ever did.
Nehru and Gandhi family had their chance to develop India. They did it in their dumb selfish ways. No one liked it. Time to say goodbye to power! End of story for them
There is a tendency in India now that the second line of congress defense is fully activated now which include the Journalist, educationalists, NGO's , artists etc., These people identify themselves openly now as neither congress nor BJP but against BJP !!!
If Neharu did something good it never means that Indian should accept Congress are there masters forever.. Neharu's biggest positive was his respect for democracy.. that is a crime for a leftist like you. Please respect people's mandate and certainly MODI/BJP will go to election again in 2019 wait until then.
@vasudevan -- Nehru gave a lot of what modern Indian stands for. Comparing Modi to Nehru is Blasphemy ! And i voted for Modi btw!
Why so much slavery for Nehru Gandhi Family? What was Nehru's role in freedom, literally nothing. Nehru failed to sustain the unity that brought Indians togather against Birtishers. he failed to Motivate Indians to work hard to create a better India. In fact, his acts send the country in permanent gutters of caste-ism and religion-ism. Nehru promoted the dynasty rule and he must be condemned for the same.
m nt an so-called bhakt..but this article is ridiculous to say the least..your perspective of liberalism is not inclusive but exclusive and believe many in india agree to it
When you are short on wisdom you are loud in your boasts. RSS was a Hindutva organisation which never supported the freedom movement; while BJP in erstwhile form of Jan Sangh came into existence in mid - Fifties. Therefore history hurts as they have nothing to show prior to the Fifties except criticism. Now they are trying to rewrite Indian History.
Nehru was a great statesman though many do not agree on certain decisions of his. This is natural in a democracy. But issue is since his death India had enough of his family dominance with almost everywhere one hears only his family name given to say roads, buildings, bridges, awards, institutions, schemes etc. This overdose is now being unraveled in form of current government.
Some people never learn. They keep on repeating same old propaganda in spite of knowing well that people are much more wiser than before. It is not easy to fool them nowadays.
India was incredibly unlucky in the leadership she received in the immediate aftermath of Independence. Jawaharlal Nehru was a man with little experience of administration even at the purely municipal level, a rich man's only son who had never been confronted with the need to earn a living, leave alone to provide for a family. It is due to Nehru, socialism was enshrined as the official policy of the ruling party at the Avadi session of 1955, inaugurating an era that would stifle private enterprise and encourage corruption. Linguistic states would follow a year later. India's defences would be ignored, leading to decay in what had been, immediately after World War II, one of the best, most professional armies on the planet. Article 356 would be invoked to pull down the first elected Communist ministry in Kerala...
How much was indias GDP growth during Nehru's time?
@Random so what has congress achieved in their sixty year rule?
Ms.Jishnu,
I think you also suffer from loss of wisdom like those so called liberals . Lets for instance, I assume BJP suffers from lack of intellectuals . But what did Congress do in those 60 odd years with their so called intellectuals ? A division of country and poverty ? Nehru did not do any fundamental reforms in the country . He and his party did nothing to bring one civil code and end polygamy among hundreds of millions of Muslims which are a menace through out the world . He did n't do any good for Kashmir issue and conflict with China, probably Patel could have done more than him . He was a failure and not a practical person. Hindus of the sub-continent were and are progressive than others and will continue to be . So lets put the reign in Modi's hand .
I knew the autor from the first word of this article.. thanks ...keeep the balance between good and bad
i don't know much about Nehru...for us its the present politics which matters...congress has been telling us for ages that they are a socialist party...socialism doesn't mean giving the taxpayer money for free...it also doesn't help when there is rampant corruption.. Rajiv Gandhi said a one rupee from the govt treasury when reaches the poor reduces to .25...many rich people shamelessly buy products with subsidy...i think days of congress gone... modi is the best pm till now...if Nehru spent weeks in jail then veer savarkar died in jail...
True liberalism is when all the people are open to scrutiny and criticism. Nehru was a PM not a king that we cannot criticize him.
Having seen these comments, the writer was spot on when she said the "venom spewing army of Internet trolls flood social websites with misrepresentations that only reveal their lack of history and culture".
Can't condemn Nehru but present congress is a trash.
@NORI - You make a good point in your last line actually but tell me how many Congress ministers have actually been prosecuted? If not then they were just empty election slogans really as corruption can never end until those in power are sent behind bars. There is regular news though of persecution of so-called 'unpatriotic' than anyone on corruption.
@Truth - You are correct but should the same not apply when it comes to Modi? But you lot defend him blindly!
Concentrate on some useful topics..
Madam, Nehru has been dead some time now. Worshiping politicians never good. You conveniently forgot his biggest blunder of taking Kashmir issue to the UN, both India and Pakistan now its victims with countless dead. His rosy eyed views on China and its intentions proved he was dreaming when they attacked India.
In 60 years of ruling, Other than spreading corruption everywhere, Congress was also able to create a class of news channels, news papers, news editors, writers etc who were the direct beneficiary of those corrupt moneys. Since from last two years it is stopped hence they brokers of them r spreading position against present govt. I personally prefer reading dawn than any other English news paper in India.
Nehru came from one of the richest families in India.. he lived a luxurious life when majority of the Indians were living in poverty.. though he was well educated his stupid economic policies kept India backward.. his achievements - created Kashmir conflict , lost to China .. etc
Congress Mukt Bharat is Shreshth Bharat. We want Modi to be PM for next 15 years and Jishnus of India may go back under the rock they came from.
If there is an "illiberal democracy' in India, the fault lies with the descendants of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Nehru ushered in British, Anglo-Saxon form of government in India, post-Independence.
Starting from his daughter Indira Gandhi, who ushered in the Emergency in 1975, then on to Sanjay Gandhi and now, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have RUINED the Nehru legacy through gross mismanagement and utterly callous indifference to blatant staggering corruption.
Never mind the "illiberal democracy" the economy has revived and is the fastest growing in the world, and that means more money and jobs for the people and something called PROGRESS.:):):)
@Kulbhushan Yadav - What a violent and hate-filled mindset just for Modi love!
Instead of calling a spade a spade, these "liberals" break their backs to present a front, which is NOT quite appealing as they would like it to be.:):):)
From EU to the US to Canada,liberals are not really liked anymore.
@Faisal Did Congress or author mentioned Sardar Patel who was chosen as Leader of congress party.Mr Gandhi sidelined him for nehru.Why? Does author advocate for uniform civil law. Their free wine and dine has been denied by BJP govt as they do not entertain media freeloaders.Hence the venom.
Apparently who ever speaks from BJP in any public forum never makes sense to me. On the contrary The Congress representative no matter how down- trodden they are speak the truth.!!
This article is informative and fascinating because of the emotional comments it has brought forth and in this sense it certainly is psycho-therapeutic.
@Harmony-1© sorry did not see what was violent in stating Jishnu should crawl back under the rock from where she came. Freedom of speech means that Latha has a right to criticize Modi and also that others like Kulbhushan have a right to criticize Latha You asked if Nehru can be criticized, why not Nehru? The reality is that English media criticizes Modi night and day and often unfairly and BJP party leaders do not act holier than thou. They at most rebut specific unfair comments. Why then does Congress act holier than thou about Nehru? We recognize his contribution but he was PM for 14 years, his daughter for 15 years and grand son for 5 years. How long must we continue to repay the debt of his contribution in India's freedom struggle? It is not as though he was the only leader of freedom struggle.
@Gp65 - The difference is you guys love and appreciate when our writers criticise our issues but when your writers do the same on your issues then you start getting protective en-mass!
Bhakts defend their leader with a sense of identification and aggressiveness which is unprecedented in India. Criticising Modi is increasingly being conflated with defaming India. This follows from rising hyper-nationalism and fragile self-esteem. Many Modi supporters appear to be defining nationalism by the hard, irreconcilable position of loyalty rather than the values that India stands for.
Is india really a free society and it tolerates criticism of india and its policies.......we have only seen the opposite.
@Akil Akhtar India is so much free society that a man can send Talaq in speed post. We are trying to fix it now. Its too much of freedom.
@Gp65 You spoke for all of us Indians.
Nehru's contribution to India is well documented. Nehru's birthday is celebrated as is that of other Indian ex PMs. However, the Congress party ,during its years in power, had ignored other former PMs and leaders like Patel & this government is rectifying the same. Criticism of Nehru has generally been for his policy failures - economic, foreign affairs etc. His views on pluralism find echo in Modi's statements but then it is easy to slander Modi than go by facts. The Congress portrayed Nehru, Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi as infalliables but others have a more balanced view.
Bad attempt to earn bread