Congress and Left Reject Mamata Banerjee’s Appeal as BJP’s Influence Expands Across West Bengal
Justice Markandey Katju analyses Mamata Banerjee’s failed call for opposition unity against the BJP, the changing political landscape of West Bengal, and the growing influence of Hindutva politics in India.
Mamata Banerji's call to unite against the BJP
By Justice Markandey Katju
After her party's rout in the recent West Bengal state assembly elections at the hands of the pro-Hindu Bhartiya Janta Party ( the BJP ), former Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerji has called for all non-BJP parties in the state to unite against the BJP.
This appeal has promptly been rejected by the Congress party and the Left parties
In fact, there is a revolt against Mamata even within the ranks of her own party, the TMC
But even if the other opposition parties had heeded Mamata Banerji's call, on what issue can they unite? There is only one issue, which is secularism, but that was only for getting Muslim votes, not because of any genuine commitment to secularism.
In fact, the sweeping victory of the pro-Hindu BJP in West Bengal, a state which was for long regarded as a bastion of secularism, marks an important turning point in modern Indian history towards total 'saffronization' of India. How did this happen ?
To explain this, one must delve deep into the past. In my opinion, this development was an inevitable outcome of the Partition of India by the British rulers in 1947 on the basis of the 2 nation theory ( that Hindus and Muslims are 2 separate nations who can never live peacefully together ). Though this theory was formally initiated in the Lahore Resolution of 1940 by Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, who regularly and persistently advocated it, ultimately, the Congress party leaders agreed to Partition, and India was divided.
Since the basis of the partition of India in 1947 was the 2 nation theory, and even the Congress leaders like Gandhi and Nehru ultimately agreed to partitioning India, and since Pakistan was declared an Islamic state, it logically followed that India, with 80% of its population Hindu, would be declared as a Hindu state.
But this was not done, and India was declared a secular state. No doubt Nehru and a few others in the Congress party were genuinely secular, but the vast majority of Congressmen were communal, and their 'secularism' was really skin deep, and only a banner for Congress to get Muslim votes, not because of any genuine belief in it. Atrocities and discrimination against Muslims continued even under Congress rule ( as the Sachar Committee Report of 2006 indicated ), though it was sporadic and often covert, and to some extent kept in check ( for fear of losing the Muslim vote bank ).
This facade was continued for long in India by the so called 'secular' parties which pursued a policy of Muslim appeasement e.g. Rajiv Gandhi's annulment through Parliament of the progressive and humanitarian Shahbano judgment of the Supreme Court ( which provided maintenance for divorced Muslim women ), since many Muslims protested that the judgment was against the sharia law, and Rajiv Gandhi was afraid of losing the Muslim vote bank. Similarly, Mamata Banerji, with an eye on the votes of the 28% Muslim population of West Bengal, brazenly practised Muslim appeasement.
But this facade could not continue forever. 80% of India are Hindus, and they were incensed at Muslim appeasement by the so-called 'secular' parties. Consequently, Hindus became increasingly drawn towards the BJP.
This process was accelerated by the Ram Janmabhumi agitation launched by the BJP leader LK Advani in 1990, which culminated in the destruction of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. Ultimately, it led to the formation of a BJP-ruled central government in 2014, which has ruled since then with its allies.
Lately, state after state in India ( except in the south ) has come under a BJP government, or the BJP-led NDA alliance. Presently, 21 Indian states or union territories are under the BJP or the NDA rule.
Now atrocities against Muslims, which were earlier only sporadic and often covert under Congress rule, and to some extent kept in check, has become overt, continuous, and virulent, as the BJP does not rely on, nor seeks, nor gets Muslim votes.
In the south, the BJP made deep inroads into the state of Karnataka, where it formed its government at one time.
The BJP's target will now be to capture power in southern states too, which are overwhelmingly Hindu, but where, till now, it has only had a marginal presence.
Going by these trends, it seems that in a decade or less, most of India will be largely 'saffronised', and India will become a de facto Hindu state, even if it remains a de jure secular state under its Constitution.
Justice Katju is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.
