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India Counts the Cost of Hindu Fanaticism

DK Joshi writes from New Delhi
INDIA f aces an uncertain future after demolition of the historic Babri Masjid in Ayodhya which tore apart the country's secular fabric.
Prime Minister PV Narastmha Kao may have averted the danger to his government by handling the aftermath with a firm hand, but this reprieve is politically temporary. The future will largely depend on the manner in which he tackles the political, economic, social and emotional fallout of the traumatic events.
His government's credibility has,been rudely shaken by the drift and indecision that proceeded the mosque demolition on December 6, The biggest issue for Rao Is not merely to maintain law and order but to restore popular faith tn the secular values of India as enshrined in its constitution.
I Ic faces a greater challenge in future because of his government's commitment to build another mosque at the disputed site and the resolve of Hindu communal move-merits to prevent that.
Rao treated the Hindu organisations committed to construct Ram temple at the disputed site with kid gloves because of fear of a Hindu backlash and the loss of electoral support from religious minded Hindus.
It remains to be seen whether he and the ruling Congress Party have learnt the bitter lesson from the recent tragic happenings — namely,
that communal and fascist forces, if appeased, become a danger to a democratic and civilised society.
Five communal organisations, three Hindu — Rashtriya Swayam Savak Sangh (RSS). Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrange Dal — and two Muslim — Jamait-e-lslami and Islamic Savak Sangh — have been banned.
large-scale arrest have been made of members of these banned organisations. Including that of Lal Krishna Advani, parliamentary leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the biggest opposition party in parliament.
Rao's critics inside and outside his party fear that the arrests may become counterproductive unless backed by firm administrative action and mass educational programmes.
The communists and other secular parties have offered their-co-operation in fighting the Hindu communal menace as represented by the BJP and its allies, particularly the RSS. This may lead to a new alignment of forces and an enlircly new political scenario.
The communists will be wary of giving the impression that support of Rao's government implies tacit a acquiescence in its economic liberalisation policy. Whether Rao will be inclined to modify this policy to secure communist support lo fight the BJP is not yet clear.
A balance sheet of the gains and losses from the tragic event shows that, as well as tearing apart India's secular fabric, it humiliated the nation before the world. It has been a serious blow lo the liberalisation policy and weakened the government and its moral authorfly, besides killing more than 1,100 people and destroying property.
However, it has also produced trends that can prove an advantage in repairing the damage. Hindu fundamentalists are on the defensive and the BJP morally mauled. The episode has prompted soul-searching among educated Indians and a realisation that loss of ideology and commitment by the Congress and other secular parties was responsible for political drift and a lust for power.
. Coing deeper into recent event's produces the realisation that the Indian political soul is-not dead. The killings after December 6 were not communal riots. No religious shrine, Hindu of Muslim, was destroyed in the mass frenzy.
The Prime , Minister has blamed BJP for the tragedy at Ayodhya. His critics are not prepared to give him the alibi that he was betrayed by the BJP, which ruled the state of Uttar Pradesh, in which Ayodhya is situated. They believe his failure to anticipate the events was largely due to his style of functioning — con-
sensus and Inaction — and greater concern for his own political survival than the future of India.
They argue that from the very beginning he had relied on BJP support In parliament. He saw II as a cushion against any onslaught from the left parties. He ignored the advice of Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh and others and tried lo counter Singh's criticism by insinuating ft was designed to dislodge him. Singh, a contender for prime ministership. was always suspect in Rao's eyes. Rao tried to isolate him.
Now Singh turns round and says: "I told you so." He told a party meeting how he was subjected to "Jibes and taunts" during the last five months for advocating an anti-BJP ideological line. Rao's indecisiveness and tendency to procrastinate is no longer considered an asset and a sign of maturity. It is seen in terms of weakness and lack of leadership.
The silver lining in the otherwise bleak horizon is that Indians are, by and large, politically secular. The atmosphere was vitiated only when Hindu revivalism, with the Ram temple as its symbol, was allowed to Infiltrate into the political system.
India faces a dangerous future. Congress is in no danger of losing power but Rao’s future is-a different matter.
— GEMINI NEWS
DK Joshi is a senior Iridian Journal is I.