Are Muslims Really Our Flesh and Blood?

Ram Puniyani*
Posted September 11, 2000


At the annual convention of BJP held in Nagpur, Mr. Bangaru Laxman (Aug. 26,2000) the new BJP president was at his chivalrous best when he proclaimed that 'Muslims are blood of our blood and flesh of our flesh'. Noble sentiments indeed! Ironically before he made this generous proclamation he visited the memorial of the Second Supremo (Sarsanghchalak) of RSS, Mr. Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, who in his book (Bunch of Thoughts) has elaborated how Muslims are enemies of Hindu Nation and also given the tips of dealing with the internal enemies. Mr. Golwalkar is deeply appreciative of the Nazi methods of dealing with the threats to the 'Nations', example of Hitler's' tackling Jews (gas chambers and all that) is cited with great adoration. This major ideologue of RSS even currently is regarded as THE guiding spirit of RSS ideology. Also while making public his 'pious' intention vis-a-vis the biggest minority, Mr. Laxman 'forgot' to mention that similar (blood of our blood) treatment should be meted to the other minority, the Christians. This omission may have been a conscious one as probably how can you call somebody as the flesh of your flesh at a time when your own real flesh (affiliates like VHP, Bajarang Dal etc.) are thrashing them through and through.

BJP and Muslims:

Mr. Laxman went on to say that the with BJP rule anti-Muslim violence has come down. The unstated part of this sentence may have been that it has come down because the target for violence has shifted to another minority, which also finds a mention in the above said ideologues' listing of 'inner enemies'. The unstated part of the statement may also have been that Mr. Laxman and his associates can not thrash two minorities at a time so this respite for the worshippers of Prophet Mohammed. One of the major campaigns of BJP's predecessor, the Bharatiya JanaSangh, was 'Indianisation of Muslims'. This intimidating assault on the minorities was premised on their assertion that in this 'Hindu Rashtra' Muslims are foreigners and so they need to be Indianised. The methods for this 'Baptism in Indianisation' were very unique. The hatred was systematically spread against the Muslims by Gobbelsian techniques: Muslims are not loyal to India, they are ISI agents, they are polygamous, they produce more children, Muslim Kings destroyed Hindu Temples, and they spread Islam by force of sword. All these concoctions were in due course supplemented by more 'innovative' one's like Muslims are a pampered minority. They could 'successfully' project a poor, marginalised minority having high rate of illiteracy and unemployment, having a higher ratio amongst those living below the poverty line as the one's who have been appeased by successive Govts. BJP was also 'successful' in popularizing the weak secularism of Congress variety as pseudo-secularism and BJP's minority bashing variety as the 'real' secularism. This communalisation of social space formed the base on which anti-Muslim violence stood for decades.

With Advani taking over the reigns of BJP the matters were taken to the higher pitch and BJP led Ram Janmbhoomi campaign resulted in worst ever communal violence. With Babri Demolition ership of BJP the first circle of ' Hindu-Nation building' came to fruition and BJP became a strong party to reckon with, thanks to its elite vote bank built through the 'anti-Muslim' hate campaigns. The assault of BJP and its family members (fondly called Sangh Parivar (SP) by them) on the Muslims, ghettoized them physically, mentally and emotionally.

With BJP manipulating to capture power at the center the threat perception amongst Muslims started going up as BJP began to communalise education and other cultural institutions and practices in a subtle and blatant way. It also undertook the non-constitutional path of Constitution review with the aim of doing away the secular character of the state and the protective provisions for minorities and weaker sections of society. The sword of Kashi and Mathura controversies has been kept alive though temporarily relegating them to the backburner for tactical reasons. All this has given a clear message to the Muslim minority about the real nature of the long term agenda of the BJP in unambiguous terms.

Muslim Response to BJP:

In the face of the motivated and sustained violence the Muslim community started becoming more and more inward looking. Though the Congress and the state machinery also played quite a role in aiding and abetting the Sangh Parivar led hate politics, large sections of Muslim populace did realize that it is the BJP which is the prime mover of the anti-Muslim tirade. And over a period of time they started doing the 'tactical voting' to defeat BJP with the hope that that is the best option for them. Despite initial vacillations it became very clear to the Muslim community as to what the real intentions of BJP vis-a-vis their community are. Their alienationfrom BJP went on increasing and by now barring some show pieces most of the Muslim community has realized the dangers of BJP to the social, economic and political survival of the Minorities in general and Muslim  in particular.

Why this Olive branches now?

It is not the first time that such a pleasant sounding sentiments are being proffered from the stable of BJP. Earlier couple of years after the Babri Demolition, at their conclave held at Goa, BJP did make overtures to Muslims. But since their real intentions towards minorities are more than clear to the minorities such bouquets in which the thorns are hidden inside are unlikely to work. So why this show of bon homie?  Last three general elections have shown that BJP is stagnating at a particular electoral support. As a matter of fact in the last general elections their voting percentage has come down by close to two percent, and so BJP is out to think of new ways of winning over some more sections of population. In this direction their affiliates have been unleashed in Adivasi areas to target the Christian missionaries to win Adivasis to the BJP fold. The second measure, which seems to be being initiated by Mr. Laxman, is to woo the section of liberal Hindus, who are perturbed by the anti-Muslim stance of this Hindutva party. BJP knows that it is impossible for it to win over minorities after whatever treatment they and their parivar is meting out to them. But it is likely that the mask of such noble sounding sentiments may win over a section of liberal Hindus. This is another deceptive mask, which BJP is desperate to acquire in its pursuit of the agenda of Hindu Rashtra.


*Article ppublished in The Free Press Journal, reproduced by permission