Choking Ties

FOR a pseudo-secularist like me, going for the RSS is both tiresome and repetitive. Some months ago, I had covertly decided to stay off this seductive subject. Alas, the RSS has a special talent for awakening dormant critics with a brand of provocation impossible to resist. Mr K.S. Sudarshan's diktat at Agra directing Indian Muslims and Christians to "Indianise" is so blatantly communal, so direct an assault on religious identity, so wrapped up in suggestions of extra-territorial allegiance that leaving it unanswered is to invite communal mischief. Supposing, the President of the US were to make a similar demand of Hindus living in that country? 

I often ask myself why the RSS needs to constantly demonise minorities presenting fantastic fables of treachery and subversion. The conclusion is inescapable: what drives the RSS is not reforming Hindu society or cultural nationalism or swadeshi. The 75-year-old self-styled saviour is driven at its core by Muslim animus; the current attention paid to Christians is but a temporary diversion. This visceral dislike of Muslims manifests sometimes in comical ways. The RSS posits that the Pepsi-Coke rivalry is actually a contest between Muslim Shahrukh Khan and Hindu Hrithik Roshan. Accordingly, motherland-loving patriots are advised to shun Pepsi. 

The question, of course, is how long can the BJP continue to live in the parivar? Despite Mr Advani's reaffirmation of symbiotic links, he has tasted power and is himself the most vocal advocate of BJP becoming the natural party of governance. If that remains the goal, can even a loose, informal association be useful to either organisation? For the BJP at least, the RSS connection ensures the party remains perpetually suspect in the eyes of minorities and the overwhelming majority of Hindus who reject the RSS thesis. Currently, led by Vajpayee, the BJP manages just over 20 per cent of the national vote-and remains stuck there. Which means its best prospect is to lead a messy coalition. Which, in turn, means being bullied and blackmailed by the likes of Mamata. Natural party of governance in these circumstances becomes a cherished dream.

Earlier, I thought that sooner rather than later the BJP would have to redefine and rework its relationship with the Sangh. Now, I don't think that option is available. If the BJP's visions of prolonged Delhi rule are to become a reality, the party has to make a clean break with the RSS. Nothing less will do.