Dilemma of our leadership will lead us nowhere

For last few months it has been really painful and amusing to see the how our leadership has caught into dilemma. I want to make it clear before going into this article that here leadership does not mean leadership of any particular political party or social organization when I use the word leadership it means a will and aspirations of country as a people which has been manifested in leadership within existing political system in the form of various political outfits and organizations.  For last few years confusing signal from our leadership was coming out in social and political domain but in last few months when situation warrants for more decisive and visionary signals from our leaders we receive just opposite from them.

In last two parliamentary sessions we have witnessed very customary repetition of events. All the opposition showed themselves to be united on the issue of price rise and then ultimately running to the beating track which results in a big zero. In last parliamentary session a notice was given to the honorable speakers of both houses on the issue of price rise and after wastage of few days’ government and opposition comes to the face saving formula for both sides.  It was said that situation is alarming and government must rein into this situation to control the rising price of food items and vegetables as well as fruits but nothing have been done even just after the discussion on price rise in both of houses government took an unprecedented decision to decontrol the petroleum and diesels to give the full control to market to decide about the price of these items according to international market scenario. Lot of hue and cry was made after this decision and opposition parties along with BJP call for a Bharat bandh to protest this decision as well as increase in petrol, diesel and kerosene. Bharat bandh has given some hope to BJP to revive its lost confidence that people still hear them and they have some appeal among masses. This Bharat bnadh gave some ammunition to BJP to train its gun to the government in latest parliamentary session and in this session also we witnessed lot of drama as ruling party tried to manage the floor with its bomb of “Hindu terrorism” and CBI inquiry for Sohrabuddin encounter case.  BJP countered this management with the issue of price rise and getting the soft corner from some other opposition leaders on whom also sword of CBI is hanging.

The developments before this parliamentary session and during the ongoing session put some serious questions before us to decipher the dilemma of our leaders and which direction our country will take with this confused leadership.

This question has some relevance before us in background of some serious developments within our country and outside our boundaries.  First we would discuss the dilemma of Congress party.

Since its first tenure from 2004 UPA government headed by Congress party strategies itself with two perceptions, one, India has changed and post modern India is eager to disconnect itself from its past and looks towards west and other developed countries for its development. Second perception is that economic development alone itself can bring change and Indian should be and must be defined in economic unit rather than cultural, spiritual and Dharmik unit. Its successive win in several elections has emboldened its perception to push this idea and translating it into governance and policy. These two perceptions are cosmetic and far from the real truth. Successive win of congress has multiple reasons and some of them will come before us when we would discuss about BJP later in this article. The wrong perception for country from any ruler can bring disaster for any country. It brings catastrophic repercussions on the people for two reasons. If ruler has the ability to manipulate the system according to its will it leads itself towards dictatorship and fascism as we see in the case of Nepolean, Hitlar and Musolini and lot of other dictators who want to dictate the country according to their will but all of them have a silver lining that at least they have some vision before them to achieve and not merely dictated by others. Second thing which results from this wrong perception of ruler is that great disconnect between rulers and ruled emerge and which ultimately translates into the collapse of the whole system. Congress leadership is not in any position to enforce its will through dictatorship as roots of our system are so strong and they even don’t have the guts and scenario to do so.  Second option could become reality in the way things are going or will be allowed to go.

  Disconnect of government from people is more and more visible in few cases. Government headed by congress thinks that inflation is not a problem because no political party in the country is in position to bring down the government and even they don’t think about midterm election to save their parliamentary privilege and with this fake confidence they think that they would be in position to reduce the anger of people around 2013-14 with help of lot of social welfare schemes , shops and reduction in prices of food items, vegetables and fruits as well as petroleum, kerosene, diesel , LPG cylinder.  This perception totally based on two presumptions, One, Due to globalization in last more than one decade a lazy, self-centered, insensitive middle class has grown up which will not turn up against this system and government. Second, inflation will inflate the commodities to such a level where people would have more concentration to their stomach rather than any social or national debate.  This government is not going to back down in any of its policies because of its presumptions and perception.

In this article I have presumed that second option is wide open for near future when situation will come to an extent where collapse of some sort of system would happen. This presumption has few valid reasons. This country for a long time has a history of defending its territory, culture and values because if rulers had been confused or in dilemma the people and nation which ultimately manifest in the common will and identity of HINDU has come forward to lead the nation but this character has got a shift and Hindus are unable to manifest their will in any of form whether it is leadership or issues. Congress government along with its allies has succumbed to the fact that Islamisation of society, polity and government institution is the only guarantee to stay in power and run away from critical issues.

The contemporary situation is reminiscent of era of Chankya when he was running from here and there to convince the rulers of Magadh and Taxsila that Alexanader is a real threat to our territory, culture and values but Magadh ruler Dhannand was busy in making wealth and ruler of Taxsila were indecisive on the issue of tackling Alexander as well as problem of infiltration of people who were running from their places to save themselves from Alexnader.  Chanakya approached Magadh state as it was the wealthiest and full of military power but he refused to hear him and other small Ganrajya told him unless Alexander not comes to out boundaries why should we form an alliance?  

It reminds me the same scenario where Congress and its allies are more concerned for their power and share in that power rather than waking up to danger which is very much near to our door . Grim situation in our hostile neighbor country Pakistan along with another failed state in the making Afghanistan should have been enough to project our future challenge but our ruling coalition has decided to shift the history of our country with a policy to divide the Hindus and unite the Islam and Christianity.

During freedom struggle also we have seen the confusion and division in the rank and file of Congress leadership on the issue of definition of nationality and culture but during that period one stream in Congress party always stood for the fact that India cannot survive without its Hindu nature and character but now it seems that Congress has taken a shift and redefined the nationality of India as Muslims the one community and religion and Hindus as a divided house and which don’t form either Dharma, culture or nation. Apart from politics this is the real threat which smells from the policies of Congress party.

But the real worry is not from Congress party and its allies but the most worrisome and alarming situation come from the side of BJP. Since the UPA 2 has come in power BJP has shown itself as party of confusion and dilemma. As an effective opposition it is trying to raise the issues in parliament but if we scrutinize the issues which have been raised from this parry it leads us to the gloomy figure. Now BJP behaves as a Congress of GopalKrishna Gokhale which was running its business with applications and writes to get some share in the system which had been formulated by British colonials to show the carrot to elite and middle class. In this new parliament few leading advocate leaders of BJP proceed in both of houses as they are not elected members but appointed attorneys.  In this one year of regime of UPA BJP has not raised a single issue which is in consonance to its real character and mandate. BJP leadership seems to be in dilemma because its leader has not been able to decide their role and priorities in the parliament. It has been really amusing to see when the whole debate on price rise revolves to the myth of opposition unity like 1977 against Congress.  I am deliberately calling it myth. First, political and social scenario is very much different from 1970’s when ideologically and politically Congress was unchallenged. In 1970’s Communism and socialism along with left ideology had a strong base among elite and middle class and Hindu nationalists have no other option than to share platform with socialists to consolidate the anti-government and anti-establishment feelings. In present scenario when left ideology is dying and Communists are no more alive with their base among elite and middle class and socialist leaders have lost their credibility there is no reason to return to go back to the days of 70’s.

Other thing which reflects the confusion and dilemma of BJP leadership is in judging the mood of people and burning issues before country. For a long time BJP have to pay the heavy price before the people of country in general and Hindus in particular for not reading its mandate or deceiving the people with its unstable and indecisive behavior.  In last parliament session along with this session Kashmir issue has neither been raised nor has this so called nationalist party which boasts the legacy of Shayma prasdad mukherjee ignited this debate among the people of India. If sometimes this issue has been raised by leaders it has been raised in technical way which does not touch the real pulse of problem arousing now a days. At the same time failed diplomacy of Indian government has also not become a talking point in the circles of this party.

It is important to analyze why this is not happening. BJP does not want to raise any issue which in way is related with Muslims and talks about the political aspiration of Islamic dominance on India. Kashmir situation has come to the point where it is not to say to anyone where solution lies and what this unrest in valley demands. It seems BJP is not in any mood to either discuss or come out with any solution on the issue of Kashmir. Situation in Kashmir could not be seen in isolation and it has its multiple dimensions and every one of them address the core issue of unfinished Hindu-Muslim problem in India. The present situation in Kashmir is very much related with the ongoing development in Afghanistan where US administration is desperately looking at Pakistan to salvage its pride and save the life of its soldiers as it was helplessly looking towards Pakistan in 1980’s in fight against Soviet Russia. It has emboldened Pakistan which is all set for an Iranian style Islamic revolution with help of Taliban and army.  It is surprising that our leadership is not even ready to eye to that problem because in this scenario we need to come out with a deliberate discussion and new policy formulation on this issue as new wave of Islamisation is in the offing. We must talk on it because our ostrich like behavior is not going to save us from this catastrophe.   

The failed Afghanistan along with Talibani Pakistan would certainly have some adverse effect on the dynamics of our country and having in mind the history of Islamic terrorism in our country for two decades and sympathy of Indian Muslims to this so called Islamic movement this issue should have been come in debate particularly from the side of BJP which still is the spokesperson of Hindu sentiments. Why it has not happened?

This question more have been asked from RSS rather than the BJP. It is not a secret now that RSS has come into fray to give BJP a direction and in this background   it is more depressing to witness that RSS also has not come out with any concrete plan to face this challenge. Particularly when RSS swayamsevaks have been usually told in Shakahas that India was divided and Pakistan was formed in 1947 because Hindus were not united and leadership ditched Hindus and succumbs to the pressure of Islamic leadership and aspirations.  Today when metal and will power of RSS is on test they seems to be melted in the heat of new transformed  Hindu movement which manifest the change of Hindu psychology from sense of victimhood to assertive action.

  In this democratic process no one believes in institutionalized violence or terrorist movement to raise its voice but it is also not proper to become so apologetic on the issue of some stray cases of so called terrorism which is the result of secular Indian political system which defines and practice secularism as anti Hinduism.

Kashmir problem and diplomatic failure of Indian government is only tips of the iceberg along with this issue countless issues are there to prove how shamelessly without any mandate this government is trying to shift the dynamics of this country. BJP along with RSS neither has put a single question mark on these issues. Even in parliament when Mulayam Singh Yadva raised the question how URDU press in India is being treated discriminately and demanded from the house to look into this problem to provide more advertisements to URDU press the whole house wholeheartedly accepted this proposal and during the discussion some members of BJP even went to such extent to praise the URDU as languase of Bharat. This is not the question of languase the manner in which this question was raised was very much clear that no one in the house was ready to dissociate this langause from Muslims. Even Mulayam Singh Yadav said that this is an attempt to kill the identity of Muslims in India with starvation of URDU press.  Have ever it has been tried to see what URDU press publishes. The whole URDU press is filled with conspiracy theories, those rhetoric which commonly used by various Islamic organizations to ignite communal disharmony or being used in regular Friday prayer in mosques. In this whole debate BJP would have supported the cause of URDU press with condition of not intermingling it with Muslim identity and asking for the more professional and rational quality of publications to rate it in the category of journalism.  The unconditional support of BJP on this issue clearly shows they are highly apologetic with their identity of Hindu political party and any how want to come out of this image.

It has been visible in the case of Sohrabuddin encounter case also where BJP never came out with the logic of Soharabuddin being a terrorist or underworld and always defended the Amit Shah on technical ground. Even chief minister of Gujrat has been taking this issue as a conspiracy from central government to block the development of Guajrat.  Given the case of Amit Shah and Soharabuddin encounter case BJP had a golden opportunity to initiate a debate among people on the delicate issue of human rights and tackling anti national elements or terrorist who could not be eliminated either way with due process of law.  If this debate would have come in public domain a policy could be formulated in future so communalization and politicization of encounters could have been avoided.  But it would never happen as BJP and its inspirational figures are too scared to their Hindu identity to take up the challenges of Hindus.

Hindu movement in India has become an unguided missile and it has transformed itself from sense of victimhood to assertive action. Congress along with its allies is working with its wrong perceptions and assumed presumptions and left ideology along with Communists and socialists don’t exist anywhere and Hindu leadership is unable to transform itself in consonance to current Hindu aspirations. This is not a healthy scenario and must not be sustained for a long time.