Defeating a Dictator

Bhabani Shankar Nayak

The ensuing general election in India [from April 19, 2024, to June 1, 2024], to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha and the new Government of India, carries immense significance for the preservation of India's identity as a liberal, secular, and constitutional democracy. The prevailing fascist ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), coupled with the authoritarian rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the dictatorship of Mr Narendra Modi, poses a grave threat to every democratic achievement of the Indian working people. Their agenda appears to be focused on serving the interests of crony capitalists entrenched in Hindutva politics. These unscrupulous crony capitalists are driven by a desire to monopolise all natural resources and state revenues, prioritising the expansion of their business empires at the expense of India and its citizens.

Indian democracy and its values are experiencing a decline under the Hindutva approach to public governance, characterised by the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment without trial of opposition leaders, academics, researchers, journalists, writers, political figures, writers, and social activists. This suppression is indicative of a broader erosion of democratic values. Constitutional institutions and laws are being undermined to suppress any form of opposition to Hindutva fascism and to stifle the struggles for the survival of Indian democracy. The defeat of the Modi-led BJP government is imperative to rejuvenate India as a pluralistic society founded on constitutional democracy. Reinstating respect for democratic principles and ensuring the protection of fundamental rights are essential steps towards preserving the integrity of Indian democracy.

Contrary to its purported intentions, Hindutva politics does not serve the interests of Hindus or Indians at large. Instead, it represents a perilous path, akin to a suicidal trap, fuelled by deceptive propaganda. Those advocating Hindutva ideology are not true nationalists; rather, they are adept practitioners of deceptive politics, employing diversionary tactics to further their agenda and promote corporate capitalism in India.

Approximately 970 million (97 crore) Indians, out of a total population of 1.44 billion (144 crore), are eligible to participate in the upcoming general elections. These numbers represent more than mere entries in the spreadsheets of political parties and the Election Commission of India; they signify Indian citizens with a keen political consciousness. The united electoral consciousness and collective struggle of these 970 million Indians possess the potential to consign Hindutva's electoral prospects to the annals of Indian political history. By defeating Modi, the BJP, and the RSS, they can pave the way for authoring a new chapter in Indian political discourse, one that seeks to rejuvenate Indian constitutional democracy on the bedrock of scientific principles and secular values. This collective effort holds the promise of steering India towards a future founded on peace, solidarity, science, secularism, inclusivity, rationality, and pluralism.

Should Modi, the BJP, and the RSS emerge victorious in the upcoming elections, the unchecked cocktail of arrogance and ignorance of Hindutva ideology will engulf the nation, laying waste to the beauty and diversity inherent in India.

History has borne witness to the downfall of every dictator and their oppressive schemes. But Hitler was not stopped until it was too late. Modi must be stopped now otherwise people will have to live in perpetual fear-psychosis.

14.4.2024

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Frontier
Vol 56, No. 44, Apr 28 - May 4, 2024