Events & Issues

New Delhi, 26 May 2014

2014 Mandate

NO, MODI IS NOT A FASCIST

By Proloy Bagchi

The lodging of an FIR against a ship-building professional in Goa for making derogatory remarks against Narendra Modi, now Prime Minister has not only rightly raised the freedom of expression issue, but also suggests the misgivings about the man and his party in some quarters.    

Indeed, while Narendra Modi’s resounding victory at the national polls has been generally received with euphoria, there is a section of the people which is suspicious of the future of the country, under the new regime. Indeed, the overwhelming mandate is not as much for the BJP as for Modi per se. However, the enormous support for a veritable demagogue has caused misgivings amongst certain sections. They feel that this is the stuff of which fascist dictators are made, who rule not for the wellbeing of the people but for self-aggrandisement.

Modi has been pronounced by the “pseudo-secular” brigade led by the Congress as the product of a fascist organisation – the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS). Over the years both have collected a reputation of being communal and intolerant of non-Hindus. The Congress, the bitter enemy of RSS, and its political face, the BJP, has been branding Modi as fascist – its accusations acquiring a stinging and more scornful character before the last General Elections.

The campaign also witnessed a vibrant social media looking at the pros and cons of the parties and individuals in the fray. However, the ship-building professional now finds himself in deep trouble. He had in his post cautioned against Modi coming to power, claiming that a ‘holocaust’ would follow and also that Christians in Goa would lose their identity.

The question, therefore, arises is whether Modi, his party and its parent organisation are really fascists. It would need to be critically examined from their current positions in respect of various issues and not from the traditional views that have been propagated by their detractors. In order to do so one has to first see what exactly does fascism stand for.

Fascism has been defined variously by political philosophers but it is generally understood to be “radical authoritarian nationalism”. Coming into prominence during World War I, it, as has been said it, “Holds right wing positions with left wing politics”. It is opposed to liberalism, Marxism and traditional conservatism. Invoking primacy of the State, fascists seek to unify the nation through an authoritarian dispensation. Veneration of and devotion towards a strong leader, an extreme form of nationalism and even imperialism are its other features.

Although said to be a product of the 19th Century, fascism saw a revival in Italy during World War I. The Great War was cruel to many. It decimated three empires – German, Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman – and caused utter privations to most of the European people, especially the Germans and Italians. Widespread death and destruction took heavy toll of the countries that were at war. While Germany, under the weight of heavy war-reparations for waging an avoidable war suffered bankruptcy and destitution, Italy got nothing out of the War except poverty and misery.

It was a war of the absolute monarchs and yet the people suffered the most, building a fertile soil for emergence of fascism. While in Germany fascism raised its head in the shape of Nazism led by Adolf Hitler a strong people’s leader, Benito Mussolini, exploited the discontent among people and promising pride and respect for Italians, mobilised support of the masses to become a dictator with absolute power.

If one analyses the BJP or its mother organisation, the RSS, one does not quite get the impression they are fascists as defined in the political textbooks. It is true that the RSS and the BJP have been talking of a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu Nation) and, later, Akhand Bharat (Undivided India) but these were always extreme positions that they took, perhaps, to protest against India’s partition. Over time, they have practically given them up, most probably, on realisation that these are unattainable objectives in the modern world of international politics where checks and balances generally prevent a country to act in a unilateral and self-willed manner.

No wonder, the BJP has somehow been displaying its ambivalence on these issues. Both the organisations, however, foster among its adherents love and respect for India, which to them, is like their “mother”. Fierce patriotism and intense love of one’s country and observance of its traditional cultural practices need not always be harmful for or impinge on other communities or nations. It is only the ill-advised fringe elements that sometimes move away from the mainstream and cause avoidable conflicts. Such elements in numerous other communities also do likewise.

Rise of Narendra Modi cannot be seen in terms of the fascist ideology of a strong leader mobilising masses to bind them into a cohesive entity to pursue authoritarian and expansionist goals. Modi has worked his way up in the democratic system of the country and has been elected four times as the Chief Minister of Gujarat mostly for the good work done by him. Again, he led his party to an outright win in the national elections in 2014.

His ‘winnability’ prompted the BJP to declare him its prime ministerial candidate. If crowds in huge numbers collected at his election rallies it was because of reports of his performance in Gujarat. Besides, frustration and anger of the common man against the corrupt and incompetent outgoing government swung the people towards a leader, who was perceived to be decisive and capable of delivering a better life to them.

Grabbing the opportunity offered by the General Elections the BJP, to garner greater acceptability, brought in unimaginable changes in its earlier positions on its core political issues, viz. repeal of Article 370, enactment of a uniform civil code and construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. These have all been put on the backburner and the main issue before the next Government, as declared by Modi, is nothing but development.

His new slogan is “sabka saath, sabka vikas” which, roughly translated, means “together with everyone and development for all”. This is not indicative of dictatorial ambitions and takes away the communal tag attached to the BJP as its revised objectives are to work for progress of all, regardless of caste or creed.

Fascism is associated with radical right, i.e. it is ranged against Marxism and socialism. BJP, backed by the RSS, too held the same position. But of late there seems to have been an abrupt change. Modi has categorically declared that his Government would work for the poor, the youth and security of women (regardless of caste and creed need hardly be emphasised). Surely, in doing so he would not be unfriendly to business and industry.

In his inter-actions with the media, Modi has not indicated any expansionist tendencies. In fact he has clarified that he would pursue friendship and cooperation with all countries regardless of their size. The invitation for the swearing-in ceremony to the SAARC leaders, including Pakistan is one such example.

Modi, therefore is not a fascist. Fascism is something which wouldn’t seem to be in the genes of Hindus; the question of their organisations – religious or secular – being fascist therefore wouldn’t quite arise. The term, has only been hurled pejoratively at the BJP by the paranoiac and insecure Congress, fearing all the time of all that that have since happened to it at the last elections.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)