How the oppostion is helping BJP to stay in Power?

   How is Congress Party Unwittingly keeping BJP in power?

   A particular brand of intelligentsia, finding itself marginalised in the national discourse, is visibly uncomfortable with the massive mandate of 2014. BJP getting a full majority on its own and ending a three-decade long fractured polity was beyond their imagination.

   It not only questions their ability to analyse elections but raises serious doubts on their understanding of Indian society and politics. While trying to build a counter-narrative, they now derive solace in portraying nationalism as ‘hyper-nationalism’.

   Some time back, similar attempts were seen in the form of ‘intolerance’ and ‘award wapsi’ (returning accolades). The antinational sloganeering in Jawaharlal Nehru University was first sought to be defended and then rationalised and Rohith Vemula’s case in Hyderabad Central University was propped up as an accusation against the Central government. The murder of M.M. Kalburgi and Narendra Dabholkar which took place under the Congress State governments and the Dadri incident in U.P. under Samajwadi Party rule were highlighted as indictments of the Central government.

   The local law and order issues were not only sought to be catapulted to the national scene but even international opinion was mobilised.

              Repeated defeats

   The repeated defeats in election after election have frustrated them to such an extent that the Congress-Marxist combine even raises questions on the legitimacy of these mandates. So there is a visible tendency to question even the surgical strikes against Pakistan and demonetisation.

   It has led to mindless opposition of the Central government through opposing and denigrating security forces, raising the issues of human rights of terrorists and stone-pelters, meeting separatists in Kashmir, speaking against the Prime Minister in Pakistan, and taking pride in slaughtering a cow in full public view.

   Indian nationalism remains an enigma for those trying to see nationalism through a fixed framework of inflexible rigidities. The problem gets further compounded when that understanding is based on the European experience of nationalism, a homogenising, masculine and an imperialistic phenomenon resulting in the formation of uniform nation states. Contrary to the European experience, Indian nationalism is not only inclusive but celebrates a unique kind of diversity.

   India has been a plural society since ancient times and there is a cultural and civilisational unity. Its journey of thousands of years was impeded by several incursions. But the spirit of India has not only survived all the assaults but was strengthened by a flourishing culture of accommodation and adjustment. To think that this process of accommodation and adjustment was one-sided would be a grave mistake; it was always a multilinear and dynamic process.

   It was due to this that our freedom struggle right from the war of 1857 recognised that the ban on cow slaughter was integral to the spirit of nationalism. It was included in the Directive Principles of the Constitution and even the Congress governments in various States made laws banning cow slaughter.

          Nationalism is from below

  As the Prime Minister continues to speak the language of hope and trust, nationalism has become an incredible phenomenon of transformation, progress and development. The nationalistic surge today emanates from the masses below to the NRIs abroad, covering vast sections of the society. It represents the aspirations, hope and trust of the people. It is time to strengthen nationalism to build a new India. Any attempt to dub it as ‘hyper-nationalism’ will only be counter-productive to its proponents and lead to their further marginalisation.