NARENDRA Modi was nominated by Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS Supremo, as prime ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and Modi launched his election campaign on the political platform of his Gujarat model of Development and during every election meeting, he promised his audience that vote for BJP under the leadership of Modi will lead to economic growth for entire India. Modi was extended full support during the elections not only by the Indian monopoly capitalist class but also foreign transnational corporations because they expected from him, the ‘opening up of Indian economy’ for private domestic and foreign investment.  The Manmohan Singh led United Progressive Alliance government at the centre was characterised as “paralysed” and hence there was a need for a change of government at the centre which was expected to replace and displace the non-functioning UPA-II by the dynamic leader like Narendra Modi who had promised to vigorously pursue economic policies. As per his poll promises, his performances would not only accelerate the rate of economic growth but also happiness for the millions of Indians who were feeling completely left out due to stagnant growth during the UPA government. He had promised brighter, better days for the people by his call for ‘Achhe din” during his tenure. Unfortunately, these electoral promises have been not only broken by him during the last eight months but have also promoted causes leading to the polarisation of society on religious consideration and disrupted social harmony among diverse social groups in the country. A few facts will corroborate that Modi’s model of development for India is essentially a model of social division. First, just after taking office in May 2014, he encouraged the members of the Hindu Sangh Parivar led by the RSS to launch a disruptive programme of “Ghar Wapasi” for reconversion of Muslims, tribals, dalits to Hindu religion, proclaiming that Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. Some of the BJP MPs became self-appointed leaders of this “re-conversion” movement and from nowhere the issue of reconversion was brought into public discourse by the BJP.  An unnecessary hullabulla was created over the issue of forced conversion of Hindus and the home minister of India added weight to the VHP, RSS propaganda by raking up in Lok Sabha, the need for an ‘anti-conversion’ bill. The noises of the Hindu Sangh Parivar soon died down as the secular forces in the country strongly condemned this divisive agenda of the Sangh. All this makes it clear that the phony agenda of development over which the BJP fought the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, was replaced by its ideological agenda of using the Indian State to establish ‘Hindu Rashtra’. The conversion issue was followed by another issue of ‘cow slaughter’ and the eating of beef, which suddenly became a public agenda and the Muslim households were being targeted to find out if beef was being eaten there.  Trucks carrying ‘animals for trade’ were targeted and violence was directed against those involved in legitimate animal trade, by falsely alleging that ‘cows were sold for slaughter’. ‘Save the cows’ and ‘punish the Muslims’ who were being projected as ‘beef-eating community’ by the Sangh, became a task of the Sangh brigade. Modi government became a protector of the Hindu sentiment from Muslims and Christians who were projected as enemies of Hindu culture and religion. Third, suicides by farmers under distress or deep crisis faced by the whole of agrarian India should have been the real agenda of Modi’s model of development; but it has been completely sidelined by the government. “Education for Hindutva” has come to occupy the centre stage in the Modi government’s agenda. RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat himself led from the front and asked the Modi government to ‘re-write history’ of India which has been misinterpreted by Western writers and ‘Hinduise education’ by imparting vedic education and teaching in Hindi and Sanskrit.  Sangh’s call for Hinduisation of education is similar to Pakistan’s General Zia-ul-Haq’s attempt to use Islamic madarsa education for Islamization of Pakistan.  Education is the pillar for the making of a good society. If society has to be built on “liberal values” of plurality and diversity of opinions and thinking, universities should be encouraged to impart liberal, scientific education.  Every modern democratic society has created a whole system of education for the promotion of democratic values where students come out of educational institutions as firm believers in the value of ‘dissent’ and there is no one way to arrive at the truth. Hitler’s Nazi regime destroyed great universities of Germany because universities were creating “dissenters”.

 The upshot of the above narration is that the Sangh Parivar model of education which the Modi government has been asked to implement from schools to universities is for solidifying Sanskritic- Brahmanical tradition as interpreted by Hindu saints and Shankaracharyas who are custodians of Sanskrit based knowledge.  The HRD ministry has been asked to consult the Sangh Pracharaks for policies for education for the promotion of Hindutva. Fourth, the Modi government is engaged in engaging the army and ex-army personnel in spreading the message of nationalism based on sacrifices made by Indian Army in defending the nation.  Militarised nationalism is the logical extension of the RSS type of physical training which it provides to its cadres.  RSS promotes the thinking that Hindus have to defend themselves against their enemies and it is not possible without physical strength and military training of the Hindus. The above mentioned politico-religious and politico-cultural programme is only for the ‘Hinduisation of India’ as interpreted by the RSS and implemented by the Modi government. Modi government has taken up the responsibility of not only defending and strengthening the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ but has also taken upon itself the task of teaching a lesson to the Muslims, with a clear message to them to accept the Hindu cultural ways of life in India, including food habits.  What happened to Modi’s claims for development and economic growth, now? Was his ‘developmental’ agenda deceptive to promote ‘Hindutva’?  Anti-minoritism is the core of Hindutva of the RSS and the Modi government is implementing the ‘divisive’ agenda of Hindu versus the ‘others’.  The electorate who voted for this government is puzzled. Where is the vigorous, progressive model of development and where are ‘acche din’?