Sitaram Yechury

The first one week of the BJP led government at the Centre has clearly shown the unfolding of its real agenda which continues to be kept camouflaged from the people. In fact, there has been an unfolding of two hidden agendas. First, while publicly appearing to give up the hard core communal agenda in the National Agenda adopted by the 18-party coalition government, the BJP government, through various pronouncements, has clearly shown that its real agenda is contained in the RSS vision of a `Hindu Rashtra’. Secondly, there is a real agenda of the BJP’s allies now in government ranging from dismissal of duly elected state governments led by parties opposed to them to the covering up of corruption cases, be it of the Jayalalitha or the Sukh Ram variety.

The debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have clearly confirmed, as pointed out in these columns last week, that the BJP functions merely as the political wing of the RSS. The Prime Minister, the Home Minister and their leader in the Rajya Sabha had openly indicated that the BJP’s communal agenda will continue to be its highest priority and that they would campaign on these issues as a political party. It is necessary to repeat, lest the country and the people are made to forget by a sycophantic pro-BJP media, that on the last occasion when the RSS affiliates other than BJP, launched a frenzied campaign on the Ayodhya issue, the BJP had publicly taken a position that Ayodhya is not on its agenda. However, soon the country and the people understood their diabolic tactics. Once the opportune movement arrived, the BJP jumped in to lead the campaign in a `rath yatra’ with its election symbol prominently displayed.

Similar is the situation today. While the BJP publicly claims to adhere to the National Agenda, the RSS affiliates like the VHP, Bajrang Dal etc have short-listed four major communal issues as their priority, viz, Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370, Uniform Civil Code, and `liberation’ (read: destruction of mosques) of Kashi and Mathura. And this time around, such a campaign will be conducted with all support provided by the BJP, which is in State power.

One can imagine the dangerous potential of such a situation. The last campaign on Ayodhya not only vitiated the atmosphere of social harmony in the country but directly led to the death of thousands of innocent people through communal violence and riots and destruction of crores of rupees worth of property. This time around, the dangers are far graver. And like on the last occasion, the BJP, once again, is only waiting for an opportune movement to lead this communal bandwagon. And, once again the country and the people have to pay the price.

That this strategy constitutes the real agenda of the Saffron Brigade becomes apparent when one reads the RSS mouthpiece, Organiser (April 1st, 1998). It carries on the back page an item titled “Workshops busy preparing material for temple at Ayodhya”. The report states that the work is fast progressing at three workshops in Rajasthan and Ayodhya. In fact, exposing itself as having completely violated the Law of the Land without any scruples, breaking all the promises and assurances made to the highest Court of the Land, the reports states: “The stone work, as per the proposed model of the temple was started in 1991 at the Nyas Karyashala in the Ramghat area of Ayodhya. Since then, hundreds of skilled artisans and technicians from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are busy in cutting, carving and sculpturing the stones. In order to accelerate the work, the Trust had last year installed several latest machines. Several new workshops at Ajari and Pindwara villages of Rajasthan (district Sirohi) were also set up in 1998. The stones after being carved at these workshops are sent to the main workshop at Ayodhya.”

The report concludes by asserting that the temple can be built “as soon as circumstances favour us”. (Elsewhere in this issue we are carrying a related report on the details of such activities.)

Given the track record of the BJP and the Saffron Brigade, it is clear that they are proceeding to a plan. The so-called `secular’ allies of the BJP like George Fernandes, Ramakrishna Hegde and others who had openly disassociated themselves from the communal agenda will now have to explain to the people their complicity in the unfolding of the BJP’s real agenda.

Another aspect of this hidden agenda is to utilise the position of office to penetrate the administration at various levels. This, as we have seen in the past, will be utilised by the BJP to create “favourable circumstances” for the establishment of its `Hindu Rashtra’.

Replying to the debate on the confidence motion, the Prime Minister, much embarrassed, admitted lack of knowledge of a circular issued by the Secretary of the Ministry for Human Resource Development to the effect that the BJP Manifesto should be implemented by the department. He assured the House that such a circular would be withdrawn and the BJP would not make such attempts further.

That such assurances are insincere is borne out by the fact reported by the national media (Asian Age, April 5, 1998) that “the Indian missions abroad had been alerted to effectively counter anti-BJP propaganda in the west”. According to report, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs has gone to the extent of stating: “Basically we have to change the mindset that the BJP is a rightwing Hindu nationalist bomb making party”. Obviously, such distinctive positions could not have been taken by bureaucrats unless backed by a political decision at the highest quarters. This is true even after taking into account the servile confirmism that many a bureaucrat is capable of. Having asserted in the Lok Sabha that the directions of the HRD Ministry will be revoked, the Prime Minister as chosen similar methods in the External Affairs Ministry — a Ministry held by him personally.

In a similar vien, reports have appeared that the Minister of State in the HRD proposes to take over the nationwide network of the Nehru Vishwa Yuvak Kendras under the pretext of revamping them. Given their track record, this is only a cover to ensure that this nationwide network, with immense funding from public resources, is converted into an appendage of their political outfits.

It is such penetration in the Administration with the long term aim of creating “favourable circumstances” for the establishment of the RSS vision of a Hindu Rashtra' that this government is working towards. Reports have also appeared of large scale appointments of political people in academic posts. Already within one week many chief justices have been transferred. The Saffron Brigades' blueprint for penetration does not spare the judiciary and is bound to destroy its impartiality and independence. Their priority target, as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister stated explicitly, is to revamp the Prasar Bharati. Many a face familiar to the middle class TV audience during the elections that shamelessly promoted the BJP may findsuitable favours’ for the services that they have rendered.

The second hidden agenda that is being implemented concerns the demands of the BJP’s allies. All sorts of noises are being made by ministers about the dismissal of the duly elected State governments, whether in Tamil Nadu or in Bihar. It has been apparently clear that the main unsaid agenda of both the AIADMK and the Samata Party has been the demand for the dismissal of the State governments in Tamil Nadu and Bihar respectively. Having taken the support of Mr. Chautala’s four MPs from Haryana who are opposed to the Bansi Lal government, the BJP will be pressurised to dismiss that government as well.

In order to cling on to power, to facilitate the implementation of its own real agenda, the BJP may well succumb to these demands. Notwithstanding the Prime Minister’s assurance that he will not misuse the Article 356, succumbing to these pressures would become inevitable for the government’s survival. The government may, however in a case of supreme deception, dissolve a number of State Assemblies including one or two of its own to give the impression that it is being `non-partisan’. But the people are not going to be deceived by such a ruse. It is clear that official positions will be misused to initiate undemocratic actions going against the will of the people.

That the government has already begun to succumb to such pressures is clear from some of its official decisions. In order to protect the gross corruption cases of the AIADMK leader and to influence the pending court cases, one of the first decisions taken with approval from the highest quarters was the transfer of the Chief Justice of Tamil Nadu. Further, through an official order (see Statesman, April 2, 1998), the government has bifurcated the functioning of the Finance Ministry giving the AIADMK Minister all departments dealing with Revenue. Importantly, these include the Enforcement Directorate, the Intelligence Agencies, the Gold Control, COFEPOSA etc, i.e., all those departments directly responsible for instituting criminal proceedings against violations and departments that are responsible for instituting cases concerning corruption. What else would this mean other than succumbing to the pressures of the AIADMK to clear its chief from corruption cases!

In other words, all these decisions and directives, that we see taking place in a short span of one week — the first week — by the government clearly indicate the intention to pursue a hidden agenda at two levels. At one level, this is an agenda that destroys the secular democratic pillars of modern India. This can only impose greater tensions, anxiety and misery on the people. At another level, the hidden agenda being pursued is one that destroys the institutions of democracy and places the administration at the disposal of venal elements. The character of our democratic polity would be further undermined only to keep the BJP in office.

It is only the vigilance of the Indian people against such a machiavellian subterfuge that can protect our secular democratic polity and its democratic institutions from being destroyed. It is this that will define the direction of popular struggles in the coming days.