E-Paper
Deduction: It?s seduction
Fascists first mesmerise themselves before setting out to mesmerise others.
It is the USP of a fascist formation that it mesmerises itself before it sets out to mesmerise the other. When the chips seem sliding, such frenzy becomes all the more imperative. Clearly, as the first exit polls disappoint privately, the BJP is currently engaged in both the above modes. An element of irritation with a media world that had, till the other day, seemed well-disposed but now seems to have become mildly cautious is equally in evidence, as spokesperson after spokesperson is made to labour that little bit harder than before.
Given that some 70 per cent Indian Hindus do not, in any case, vote for the BJP, we are witness to the momentous gumption of post-Independence times — Indian Muslims are sought to be converted into Sangh loyalists. The macabre feature of the proceedings comprises the fact that the RSS/BJP seem to have convinced themselves that they have a case. Stated baldly, what Muslims are being told is that if those whose well-known bunch of thoughts has regarded them thus far as ‘Enemy No 1” now seek their support so openly, this cannot but be the expression of a transcendent sincerity, far out-stripping the self-regarding appeasement of the Congress.
At this point one may be forgiven for recalling what Satan said to Eve in the Bible: God (read: Congress) forbids you the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because of envy; eating the fruit you will become as knowledgeable as He; look at me — a mere serpent — having eaten the fruit, I can speak. As we are told, that first act of seduction was fatally endearing.
Translated, the text that is being read out to Indian Muslims is somewhat as follows: please understand that since the Congress kept us out of power for decades, we needed to demolish the mosque to secure our right to power. Then again, please understand that in order to put all that on a firmer footing, we needed to do Gujarat. Even after that much labour, the Congress and the other recalcitrants still unfairly deny us the exercise of power all on our own, although the Congress enjoyed such power for decades.
Thus, please understand further that we now need your vote — since as of now you do have the right to vote — because only when that happens can we make up for the shortfall in pseudo-Hindu votes, and then be in a position to turn you Muslims into good and proper Hindus.
Then you would have become flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood; in that new rashtra we shall ensure that you are kept from thinking silly thoughts and doing silly things through sound education and legislation — and, failing that, through protective segregation as now in Gujarat. We ask: when did the Congress ever harbour such a vision towards you?
The interesting aspect of hermeneutics, of course, is that messages are not necessarily received as they are conceived. Thus, some astute himayatis have concluded from the RSS/BJP text something that was never intended. The word spreads that the real Maulana is not Mulayam Singh Yadav but Atal Bihari Vajpayee. We recall how, during the days of occupation in Vichy France, some bright Frenchmen persuaded themselves that the Nazi Germans were, after all, better Frenchmen than they — appreciating French wines, cuisine, and what have you, more subtly than the French themselves.
Alas, often in history, where the bright ones quickly pick up the song, the boorish mass, being deaf to high culture, remained embroiled in messy cacophony. Their muddied and blood-shot pupils search behind the proscenium into the dark interiors and refuse, sullenly, to be hoodwinked. Alternate bright people abet their sound scepticism. And then they are heard to mumble: alright, if you are so sincere, give us some nishani (read: proof). For example, how about dumping that man Narendra Modi so we know you are on the ball?
But, there is the rub. Such a call is tantamount to being asked to recite the kalima to show that you can be good Muslims before we are made good Hindus. It is like saying to the sun: would you shine on us? Go, dowse your fire first in the waters of zam zam. Not to be done, as we know; because the RSS/BJP demand corresponds to what some property dealers are heard to say to prospective buyers — as is where is basis only.
In the Jhaupura constituency of Gujarat, 300,000 Muslims voted under cover of darkness, fearful of being found out. Ever since those not-to-be-forgotten days, nobody has visited them or asked for their vote. No Hindu may buy whatever pitiful wares they make. Jhaupura, just to remind ourselves, falls within the Gandhinagar constituency which will soon return LK Advani to Parliament.
