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(fwd) INtellectual Fascism in India (part I) Article
INTELLECTUAL FASCISM IN INDIA
by Jayant Mahajan April, 23, 1994
Fascism in simple terms can be termed as the suppression of
opposing viewpoints with the use of state power and violent
intimidation. This is the most common form of fascism that we have
encountered in this century. All muslim theocracies, communist countries
and Military dictatroships fall under this category. In these regimes
the political opponents are either imprisoned, threatened by physical
violence or deported without reason, Books are banned, articles are
censored, rallies are prohibited etc etc. India experienced fascism directly
during the Emergency imposed by the Congress(I) under Indira Gandhi.
The RSS, BJP and VHP have long been termed as Fascist forces by
the English News Media, ruling party and the intellectual Academic
circles. That this allegation was repeated at least 1000 times in the
last two years did not surprise me, an voracious reader of all that is
printed about India. However, none of these news papers care to make a
case for their allegation. Mr. Anderson the US State Departments expert
on the RSS while speaking at Harvard last month dismissed the allegation
as silly, motivated and without any basis. Mr. Anderson is the author of
the book "Brotherhood in Saffron" co authored by Mr. Sridhar Damle
of Chicago. The book makes interesting reading.
In fact one of the main accusations of many a
staunch supporters of Hindutva like Sita Ram Goel, A Ghosh and others is
that the RSS does not take a more direct and confrontationist stand on
Hindu issues. This was precisely the reason why Godse left the RSS in
1944 before he started the Hindu Suraksha Dal. Even Savarkar frustrated
by the apolitical work of the RSS said and I quote "All that the RSS
volunteer would have achieved in his life time is that he was born, he
went to shakha and then he died." Savarkar a great admirer of Dr.
Hedgewar and Guruji Golwalkar would be proud to see the achievements of
this RSS volunteer who remained nameless in 1994. To date over 400 RSS
volunteers have been killed by the Communists/Marxists/Naxalites in
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal. Those who are from Osmania
University and Warangal know first hand the terror of Naxalite Student
activists in these hostels till the early eighties. Many ABVP students
were killed while working amongst students on campuses. Even today the
Student Federation of India (SFI) rely on violent intimidation as a tool
to stop any non marxist ideas from taking root on SFI dominated campuses.
I need not write anything about the lumpen elements who dominate the
CPI(M) in West Bengal. I have had first hand experience of Fascism
Indian Marxist style during my stay in Calcutta.
The RSS and BJP and VHP have never wielded state power to even
pose any threat to any body. Even when the BJP was in power in the 4
states oppposing parties flourished, the crime rate in these states fell
dramatically. The Freedom of press was never curtailed. In fact this
data provided by my friend in Bombay is quite revealing. To date over
1300 books have been published in India which have criticized the BJP,
VHP and the RSS. Not a single author has been attacked or intimidated.
In the last two year alone over 1045 articles have been published in
Newspapers, magazines, journals (all English) which have termed the BJP,
VHP and RSS as Fascist forces. Not a single author has been attacked or
threatened by physical violence. There have been over 5000 meetings all
across India in which the Congress(I), CPI(M), Janata Dal, CPI, DMK etc
have all called the BJP, VHP and RSS as Fascist. Not a single meeting
was disrupted or attacked. Now read this. In the last two years alone
over 38 BJP meetings/rallies (small and big) have been banned all across
India. The VHP has been banned. Its operating bank accounts and assets
confiscated by the State, Offices sealed. The RSS was banned, its offices
sealed, its accounts frozen. While the Supreme court overturned the ban
on the RSS the ban on the VHP of India has not even been heard yet by
the Supreme Court. The Congress(I) is using all delay mechanisms to
postpone a supreme court hearing.
All information and views of the BJP, VHP
and RSS leadership is censored on state controlled TV and the Radio.
The English news papers and the Intellectuals have remained silent.
In fact many have played a direct role in the suppression of the views
by the BJP and the RSS and VHP and some have even resorted to twisting
facts and taking statements out of context to approve such state
repression.
The opponents of BJP, VHP and RSS have justified these actions
as a necessary evil. The Tarkundes and the Fernandes who have no qualm
siding Naxalite murderers and Mujaheedin terrorists, have also supported
these state and intellectual repression. To date over 3400 people have
been killed by radical Marxist groups like the PWG, IPF etc. While
speaking on the BBC about the Naxalites, George Fernandes described them
as the best of Indias intellect, and Journalist Praful Bidwai dismissed
this as "Misguided youth with genuine concern for the poor".
But what I am proposing is that India and its population have
been a prisoner of INTELLECTUAL FASCISM for the last 4 decades. My 8 years
of Marxist activism has given me an insight as to the designs of the
citadels of Intellectual Fascism. That this Intellectual Fascism was
planned and executed with meticulous care with the willful participation
of Ruling party leaders, Journalists, Educationists, Professors,
teachers and even some artists who were directly in charge of cultural
propaganda wing. This is not a conspiracy that I propose, but the
degenerating intellect of a whole generation of intellectuals blinded by
a alien ideology and crass ambition to see it succeed in all aspects of Indian
life.
(End of part I)
continued in part II
