Title: Paying for political
innocence
Author: Virendra Parekh
Publication: The Observer
of Business and Politics
Date: March 10, 2000
GUJARATIS are often derided
as 'aarambhe shooraa' (brave in the beginning). By withdrawing its circular
on the RSS, Keshubhai Patel government in Gujarat has lived up to that
reputation. The humiliation that it brought upon itself and central party
leaders was entirely of its own making. Disgraceful retreat under pressure
from senior party leaders is the price that Keshubhai has paid for his
lack of political acumen. With a single move devoid of all political sense,
he has annoyed RSS leadership whom he might have expected to please, weakened
BJP's position in the ruling coalition at the Centre and gifted a much-needed
diversion to Sonia Gandhi and her party.
On their part, BJP leaders
have shown once again that they tend to buckle under pressure. As in the
hijack drama at Kandahar, they capitulated after making brave noises in
the beginning. One may ask, now as then: What was the point in dragging
the matter for so long if they did not have the guts to see it through?
The episode has also
brought to the fore differences within the BJP, more specifically between
Vajpayee and the rest of the party. While Advani tacitly supported Gujarat
Government, it was Vajpayee who decided to give in.
No doubt, the decision
to climb down was prompted by a desire to end the stalemate in the Lok
Sabha and to allay fears of 'hidden agenda' among the allies if only to
avoid a repetition of 1979. But there is no gainsaying the fact that BJP's
handling of the matter lacked tact and firmness.
Congress took full advantage
of this, although it was wrong on all counts. Constitutionally, legally
or morally, there was no justification to hold up proceedings of the Lok
Sabha for several days on the non-issue of RSS. The issue that it chose
to highlight and the manner it chose to press its point of view showed
up what the party is really good at: Confusing and blowing up issues in
pursuit of petty political gains without any regard for truth or national
interest.
At the centre of the
controversy was the circular of the Gujarat Government permitting its employees
to participate in the activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
It justified its decision on the ground that the RSS is a cultural organisation,
that it is not banned by law and therefore there is nothing wrong if government
employees voluntarily participate in its activities.
Notice that the circular
only permitted the government staff to join the RSS. The Congress and even
BJP's allies were reacting as if they had been ordered to do so.
In a sense, circular
was redundant. In many states, government employees attend RSS shakhas
in spite of the prohibitory orders. They do not wear it on their sleeves
and nobody makes a fuss about it. It is true that many people active in
politics have an RSS background. If that is a sufficient reason to make
RSS a political body and ban government servants from joining it, they
should also be barred from joining trade unions. For, union activity also
is a grooming ground for political activism and many unions have unconcealed
political affiliations.
Technically, the state
government was on a sound footing. Under Article 309 of the Constitution,
the matter falls within the purview of the state government. Therefore,
as the home minister pointed out, the Union Government has no power to
issue a directive asking the state government to rescind the 'objectionable'
circular.
If there were any doubt
about the competence of the Gujarat Government or legality of the circular,
it could and would have been challenged in the court. That did not happen.
The crux of the matter,
however, was political and not administrative.
Congress party, especially
its leader, managed to kill several birds with the single stone of stalling
parliamentary proceedings. First and foremost, Sonia Gandhi gained a much-needed
diversion. Even as Congress lost heavily in the recent assembly elections
in four States, the orchestrated pandemonium in the Lok Sabha ensured that
her responsibility for the Congress debacle, coming closely on the heels
of a similar lacklustre performance in the Lok Sabha elections, did not
receive as much attention as it would have received otherwise.
She could tell her critics
in the party that although a loser, she could still seize the initiative
and capture the headlines and TV spotlights. The Congress could also tell
minorities that they could still rely on it for 'saving' them from 'Hindu
fascists.'
All this, however, came
as a bonus to the main objective: Driving a wedge between the BJP and its
allies in the National Democratic Alliance. That is why it insisted on
a discussion under Rule 184 which permits voting rather than Rule 193 which
does not. By forcing a discussion which will be followed by voting, the
Congress wanted to embarrass BJP's allies: either they accept the obloquy
of voting in favour of RSS or let their own government lose face in an
important matter.
Parties in the ruling
coalition could easily see through this ploy. Nevertheless, it worked quite
well because they have different constituencies to protect. It is no secret
that there are sharp ideological differences between the BJP and its allies
and the latter clearly and emphatically want to distance themselves from
any association with RSS and its affiliates. So, major alliance partners
like TDP, DMK and Trinamool Congress expressed their reservations about
the circular.
Vaiko, MDMK leader, suggested
that the Prime Minister should persuade the Gujarat Government to withdraw
the circular. The Jammu & Kashmir Government, headed by another ally
National Conference passed a resolution to this effect.
On their part, the BJP
leaders in the Central Government must relieved that the circular has been
withdrawn. This is not because they love RSS any less than Gujarat chief
minister Keshubhai Patel or its minister of state for home affairs Harin
Pandya. But their hands are full and they could do without any additional
trouble with the opposition parties and allies.
The BJP leaders took
so long to intervene because they realised that the BJP too has its constituency
to protect and a surrender to the secularist lobby may not be taken kindly
by the party's rank and file.
The statement of the
RSS chief Rajju Bhaiya has to be seen in this context. He said the RSS
was unconcerned whether the original circular of the Gujarat Government
existed or not. He pointed out that the RSS did not depend on the official
patronage and had not sought to rescind orders prohibiting government staff
from joining the Sangh. This statement of the RSS chief, believed to have
been made at the instance of top BJP leaders, was said to have provided
an 'escape route' to the Gujarat Government which could now withdraw the
controversial circular without loss of face. That is what it has done,
after some prodding from party top brass.
The controversy has virtually
ended. It is all over bar shouting. But it has highlighted some interesting
aspects of public discourse in India. Notice, first of all, the intolerance
of those of who accuse the RSS of being intolerant and worse. If government
servants can join trade unions and student bodies with avowed political
affiliations, why not RSS? The intolerance of secularist lobby to anything
related to Hindutva gives lie to its liberal pretensions.
The RSS has once again
paid the price of neglecting ideological warfare. Over the decades, it
has concentrated on organisational work, leaving the ideological field
open to its enemies. It is they who dictate the notions of political correctness.
Congress would not have
been able to mount an assault like this and the BJP's allies would not
have been shaken at the prospect of being seen as pro-RSS, if RSS had not
become a swear word in politically respectable circles. And it became a
swear word because while RSS has stuck steadfastly to its views, it has
not bothered to attack and demolish the secularist notions on Indian nationalism,
communalism etc.
Ironically, all that
Keshubhai has really proved is that RSS men are politically innocent to
a fault. RSS is not a political body, after all!