ANALYSIS
BY DR. JAIPAL SINGH
While the leftist intellectuals have a long history post-independence actively working in tandem with the successive Congress governments and left parties, the urban naxals and tukde-tukde gang are relatively more recent terms coined for groups and individuals often noticed working against the national interests, and more particularly against the Hindu majority community. Such people are considered even more dangerous and detrimental to the interests of nation because they do not openly raise arms and weapons against the state; instead, they use ideology and aggressive publicity sometimes overtly and other times in a covert manner to achieve their objectives. As this essay is not exclusively dealing with them, there seems to be no need for specifically calling for some names and their inimical activities. However, just as a passing reference to a specific illustration from now settled Ram Janmbhumi – Babari Masjid dispute is briefly indicated here.
Four noted historians and professors, RS Sharma, M Athar Ali, DN Jha and Suraj Bhan had submitted a report on 13 May 1991 titled “Babri Mosque or Rama‘s Birth Place? Historians‘ Report to the Indian Nation”. The report category held that there were no grounds for supposing a temple of Lord Ram or any temple at the Babri site as also no evidence of any veneration by Hindus to the alleged birthplace of Lord Ram until the late eighteenth century. Further, the alleged destruction of temple was progressive reconstruction of the imagined history based on faith. The fallacies and bias of these historians was clearly vindicated from the detailed findings of the archaeological excavations included in the ASI report of 2003, available structural evidences, the records of books, travelogues, gazetteers and other accounts. Only Suraj Bhan could be cross-examined, who admitted that only two of them had once visited Ayodhya, they were under pressure from the Babri Masjid Action Committee to submit report in only six weeks; hence they did it without going through the record of excavation work by ASI and BB Lal. He also admitted that he had no knowledge of Hindu scriptures/Puranas. Needless to mention, the Supreme Court judges observed that the inferences drawn by the historians were their views which cannot be taken as evidence. The fact about the late Professor RS Sharma, head of the historians' team, being a well-known protagonist of his Marxist methods is not a secret and a well known fact.
The term ‘Urban Naxals', probably gained more popularity and currency since 2018, when it was used to describe anti-nationalist protesters and dissenters mostly belonging to leftists or left-leaning so-called liberals associated with the Elgaar Parishad case near Pune, Maharashtra. In a nutshell, urban naxals are the people with the naxalite bent of mind located in urban areas and working as ideologue activists actively guiding, supporting and protecting the armed maoist-naxals active in the jungles and the Maoist-dominated areas. This is actually part of an old strategy of Maoists seeking support at urban centers for leadership and organize masses to build armed groups/armies with military tasks. Such support usually involve recruitment of personnel, material and infrastructure. According to police, the banned Naxalite groups had organized the Elgar Parishad on 31 December 2017 on 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon and the conspiracy involved a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Modi. Seven activists were identified with various charges and, surprisingly, many opposition political parties including the Congress and intellectual/liberals came in their support and even filed a petition in the Supreme Court for their immediate release. Irony of the case being that the same Congress Party while in government had earlier arrested and prosecuted some of the same urban naxals for seditious activities.
The author has consciously used the term mafia because conversion is a reality being purportedly and methodically carried out by many missionaries, clergy and ulemas of the two Abrahamic religions in concert with several NGOs (non-government organizations) and their foreign based religious institutions/organizations. Of the two exotic religions in India, Islam is now second largest religion with approximately 15% population as per 2011 Census only next to the majority Hindu community while Christianity is third largest religion comprising about 2.3% population (27.8 million) leaving behind the indigenous religions, namely Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The exact or fairly accurate population of Muslims in terms of numbers and percentage will be available only after fresh census due since 2021 which even some Muslim ulemas and politicians have claimed to a proportion of 20 to 24 percent and for them the religion gets an overriding priority over the nationalism and patriotism. Several conversion rackets have been caught in recent years and issue came up in various courts too with demographic issues becoming an issue of concern in many parts, more particularly in the states like the West Bengal and Kerala.
As for conversion in Islam employing various coercive measures is concerned, it's going on since 11th century onward with three Islamic countries namely Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh already created ever since in the erstwhile Indian sub-continent with the thousands of years old Sanatana Hindu culture. The British colonial rulers paved way for the Christian missionaries in the 19th century. In the name of welfare and upliftment (evangelism) of the poor and underprivileged, the Christian missionaries undertake such service in the name of God, particularly in tribal and backward areas, but actually resort to mass conversion of the target population to Christianity. Consequently, the most visible impact of the missionary activities is visible in three states of northeast namely Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizorum with overwhelming Christian majority. Christian population in Arunachal Pradesh was less than one percent in 1971 which became thirty percent in 2011. Similarly, in Manipur their population had reached to over fourty-one percent from just about two percent in 1931. Under Sharia Law in Islam, the conversion of Muslims to other faiths is forbidden but conversion of non-Muslims to Islam is permitted, rather actively pursued. The clergy and radical elements take this provision as mandate and aggressively employ tactics like forced conversion (where possible), illegal immigration, covert conversion operation, producing many children under polygamy, love jihad, and so on.
The corporate mafia comprising of dominant multinational and domestic private companies too have a role through their selfish tactics like usurping public resources, protectionism, consumerism and marketism. Although their chief aim is to capture foreign markets and natural resources for maximum commerce and profiteering, with India offering a very lucrative market owing to its huge consumer base and commerce potential. This could be considered as one of the biggest threat to a democratic nation like India which has arisen largely on account of and following the liberalization in 1990s. Consequently, on one hand many selfish, profit-oriented and least transparent private companies are engaged in usurping national resources like land, forests, water, minerals, and so on, on minimum price, on the other hand multinational companies are trying to capture the domestic markets and consumer base through manufacture and distribution network often employing corrupt means adversely affecting the traditional small business giving employment and livelihood to millions of people. Besides, many of them are also engaged in systematic and well-organized campaign against domestic manufacturing and make in India efforts. The classical examples are foreign arms dealer and pharmaceutical companies in this regard. Another example could be cited Yogaguru Ramdev's initiative of swadeshi in consumer goods under Patanjali tradename; ever since he started this, efforts are constantly on to derail his initiative and a systematic campaign is still going on against the quality of the Patanjali products. For the same selfish reasons, they are indulged in a vicious campaign against Indian Yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy in India and worldwide.
India has made rapid progress in almost all socio-economic sectors under the present government establishment with a competent and strong leadership fast emerging as a nation which can no longer be ignored by the world community, and more particularly the developed West including America and Europe. While the respective governments have to keep their long term political and diplomatic interests; hence their response is also accordingly built to the foreign countries including India based on mutual understanding, compulsions and common interests. However, the non-governmental organizations, private social and religious institutions, groups and individuals are under no such compulsion or obligation; hence, traditionally, the Western media, NGOs, religious organizations and many other private institutions and individuals in the US and European countries are simply unable to digest a so called third world country emerging in the forefront of the world scenario as a largely self-reliant and powerful nation.
Consequently, while the governments of even the powerful countries and world financial institutions acknowledge India's all round development and growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership often forecasting India as the emerging next superpower, the leading global electronic and print media constantly try to portray its rather negative and dismal image. For instance, many American dailies such as The Washington Post and The New York Times and UK media and newspapers like the BBC, The Guardian and The daily Telegraph, etc. are constantly critical of the Indian affairs so often indulged in lopsided, misleading and even scandalous reporting of the Indian affairs including its political developments. For this they even actively identify and engage anti-establishment people in India and perennial journalist-critics like Barkha Dutt and Rana Ayyub on payroll who seldom see anything positive with the Indian government and the majority Hindu community and are even found sympathizing with the separatist and terrorist groups and individuals justifying their cause.
Similarly, many foreign based religious organizations including missionaries and Islamic institutions have been exporting money and ideology to promote conversion in India. A large number of NGOs operating in India have been found indulged in dubious anti-national activities and FEMA/FERA violations during the last few years and banned by the Indian government for obnoxious activities and financial irregularities. Some NGOs not only operate and promote their dubious agenda but also try to directly interfere in Indian socio-political and socio-religious matters. For instance, coercive or forced conversion and wearing hijab in schools was banned by the Karnataka government in the past for overall social harmony and peace. After the recent change in government with the Congress Party coming in power, the Amnesty International India has raised four demands in the name of human rights for immediate implementation viz. revoke the ban on Muslim girls wearing hijabs in educational institutions, legalize cow slaughter, legalize conversion and take action against people (Hindus) boycotting any Muslim vendor. Since the Congress Party has been pursuing the appeasement of Muslims for long, it is more likely that the government would meet these demands sooner or later.
Many of such forces are annoyed with their enemy-like conduct against India because majority of them were comfortable with the previous Congress and allied governments with their dubious activities largely remaining unchecked and unhindered. Besides media and NGOs, many other foreign institutions and individuals too constantly engage in India bashing and action to harm the nation in various ways. The list is too long but here the author would like to mention only one institution viz. Hindenburg Research and an individual i.e. George Soros. A proclaimed billionaire investor and philanthropist. Hindenburg is a US investment research firm which recently published a damaging report on Adani Group in India making a plethora of allegations on its Chief Gautam Adani, whom the opposition Congress Party and other Prime Minister Modi baiters constantly link with latter with many unsubstantiated allegations including financial irregularities. While the Indian opposition parties led by Congress stalled and disturbed the proceedings of the Parliament for weeks demanding constitution of an all parties Parliamentary Committee to probe the Adani Group, George Soros on his part made unsolicited remarks on the Indian democracy inter alia suggesting that the turmoil engulfing business tycoon Gautam Adani's empire may open the door to a democratic revival in India.
Concluded
(The Author is a retired civil servant and freelancer; His core areas of specialization have been public administration, finance, information technology, human resource development, budget and planning, and legal matters) (Courtesy: Boloji.com
