Ram was an uncompromising soldier for the cause of truth and a prince who renounced his kingdom to keep the vow made by his father. Modi and company, on the other hand, thrive on deceit. (AP photo)
The biggest shock that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS-BJP have received in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is the ordinary people’s refusal to let the Ram Temple in Ayodhya become a political issue. Modi’s repeated invocation of Lord Ram received scant consideration from the people. The reason is the stark contrast between the image of Ram, as depicted in the Ramayana, and the nefarious politics of the RSS-BJP.
Ram’s truth, BJP-RSS lies
Ram was an uncompromising soldier for the cause of truth and a prince who renounced his kingdom to keep the vow made by his father. Modi and company, on the other hand, thrive on deceit. The RSS will wither as an organisation the moment it ceases to propagate lies. The poet Tulsidas, while writing of the battle between Ram and Ravan, described the former as “Birath Raghuveera” (gallant Ram without a chariot). Communist leader A B Bardhan would recall this anecdote when the Ram Temple movement was gaining steam in the early 1990s to highlight the simplicity and uncompromising stance of Ram as depicted in the epic. PM Modi, armed with money and might, has become a symbol of grandeur and corruption that is far removed from the lessons one may imbibe from Ramayana.
As the election campaign reaches a fever pitch, the political atmosphere of the country is becoming vitiated. The Ram in the hearts of the people and the Ram that the RSS claims to represent are proving to be diametrically opposite, causing serious worry for the PM and the RSS top brass. The people are concerned about core issues of life, such as unemployment and price rise. This has led the RSS-BJP to poison the whole atmosphere of electioneering.
A vitiated campaign
Leading the pack in this regard is PM Modi, whose election campaign and appeals have touched a new low, considering the high office he holds. Whenever he adopts his RSS avatar, he goes against the ethos of our Republic and Constitution. It is unfortunate that though the BJP has been in power for a decade now when facing elections, they reached once again for the Hindu-Musalmaan, kabristan-shamshaan narrative. A campaign that started with the hallowed but dubious claim of Viksit Bharat, was soon forgotten by the BJP.
Viksit Bharat soon gave way to Musalmaan, mangalsutraand country buffaloes, just like “sabka saath, sabka vikas” proved to be the vikas of Adani and Ambani. The euphoria of the Vishwaguru and the bogus claims of “war rukwa di, papa” received no serious attention from the people who are burdened under 10 years of misrule, price rise, unemployment and strife. The threat posed by the RSS-BJP to our Constitution is well understood and people are braving the heat at polling booths to protect it.
Lessons from Trump’s insurrection
The BJP is sensing a defeat and the country must prepare itself for a transition. A lesson from history will be useful here for the remaining phases of the elections and for the transition, if it happens, after June 4. The RSS is trained to go to any extent to cling to state power. In our times, a very dear friend of Prime Minister Modi, former US President Donald Trump, provoked riots in a planned manner, including an attack on the US Capitol building, when rejected by the people in a democratic election.
Democracy never augurs well for authoritarianism. People, conscious of the future of their children, reject authoritarian rulers. For us in India, these lessons are crucial. The BJP is looking at a defeat and the democratically minded people of the country must remain vigilant for the remainder of the elections and after. If India is to regain the values of our Constitution and usher in an era of pro-people governance, all-round vigilance is imperative to protect the country we love deeply.
The writer is Secretary, CPI national council and leader of the party in Parliament
