June 18, 2015
Array

Two Agendas: One Modi

C P Bhambhri

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi during his one year of undisputed and unchallenged leadership of the Indian State had to single-handedly carry on his shoulders an extremely contradictory complex agenda of rising to the expectations of the Hindu Sangh Parivar on one hand and on the other the capitalist class. The public celebrations have been focused on the so-called achievements of the one year of the Narendra Modi government with a view to communicate with the various sections of the public about government’s achievements. However, the one- year celebrations are focused on peripheral basis. Because the real evaluation of Narendra Modi has to be undertaken by analysing the role of his government in promoting the agenda of Hindu Sangh Parivar led by the RSS and also taking steps to satisfy the real interests of the big industrial and business classes of India. The rationale for such an exercise is based on the fact that Modi is nothing without the RSS and its support and also, his track record of chief ministership of Gujarat state government from 2001 to 2014 provides clear evidence that Modi is a great champion of monopoly capitalist class of India. Modi has been shouting from the housetop about his “Model of Gujarat Development” which in reality meant promotion of capitalism in Gujarat by showcasing Gujarat government’s constructive and positive approach to Indian and foreign investors for development.
Is Modi capable of resolving conflicts and contradictions, if any, between his two agendas of political Hinduism and enthusiastic and active championship of Indian and foreign monopoly capitalism? Modi was admonished by Barack Obama on January 29, 2014 for ‘not protecting the life and property of minorities in his country’. Modi as a great champion of foreign investors from advanced western industrial capitalist countries, cannot ignore such a warning by Obama because public opinion in the USA and European Union and Human Rights’ watchdog groups will turn against Modi government if legitimate rights of minorities are violated in India. Modi cannot forget the post-Godhra anti-Muslim riots in February-April, 2002. The Gujarat chief minister was not welcomed by any western country and his foreign travel plans from 2002 to 2014 were jeopardised because Human Rights’ groups in western capitalist countries had successfully blocked his visits because of his government’s failure to protect the life and property of the minority Muslims in Ahmedabad in February-April, 2002. How can Modi ignore this harsh reality of international censorship when minority communities feel persecuted under his government at the centre?

COMMUNAL
AGENDA
The track record of Modi government at the centre from May 26, 2014 to May 2015 is not at all clean because Churches have been vandalised in the capital city of New Delhi in 2014-2015. Members of the parliament belonging to the BJP have openly undertaken anti-Muslim activities like, reconversion of Muslims to Hinduism, actively encouraging Hindu-Muslim conflict leading to violence against Muslims,  engineering anti- Muslim disputes over the location of some of the local mosques, the line of hurting Hindu sentiments by Muslims for their attitudes towards the cow, considered holy by the Hindu Sangh Parivar etc.  Modi has adopted a two-fold approach while dealing with these core issues which are quite near and dear to the Hindu RSS and all its affiliates. If, on one hand, Modi has refused to take any cognizance or notice of anti-Muslim and anti- Christian actions of the Hindu RSS and its affiliates, on the other hand, he has only asked his Hindu joint family fraternity not to make reckless anti-minority statements in public ostensibly with a view that public image of his government is not tainted in western industrial capitalist countries. Modi has not spoken a single word about the riots in Atali (Ballabgarh) in Haryana which happened on May 25-26, 2015 and he has not taken any notice of frightened Muslims of Atali taking refuge in police stations for the safety against Hindu jat rioters. Modi has not visited the riot victims of Atali.  
However, on June 1, 2015, Modi made a public statement that, “Some unfortunate comments have been made, which were totally uncalled for. Our constitution guarantees religious freedom to every citizen and that is not negotiable. I have said it before and I say it again, any discrimination or violence against any community will not be tolerated.” Modi has said it for public consumption, especially for western countries and their governments. Is Modi oblivious of the violence against Muslims in Atali or Muzaffarnagar? Modi is feeding and patronising the agenda of Hindu Rashtravaad and there is a firm government of Modi to promote political Hinduism under his authority as head of central government of India.
PROMOTING
GLOBALISATION
Modi has not forgotten his second agenda of giving a push forward in integrating Indian monopoly capitalism with global finance-capital led by the triad of imperialist countries like the United States of America, European Union and Japan. This aggressive pursuit of strengthening the joint alliance of domestic capitalism and the capitalism of imperialist countries has definitely the aim for both the partners to accumulate profit. The ongoing process of complete integration of the Indian State and the capitalist classes especially beginning with 1991 has brought the leaders of Indian monopoly classes directly into the corridors of the Indian State power and incidentally individual fortunes of monopolists have seen some shifts because of individual preferences of the chief political executive and Narendra Modi’s preference is for Gujarati capitalists, especially Adani. If Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index May 2014-2015 is a guide, in one year of Modi’s government, the net worth stands thus:  Gautam Adani 8.1 billion dollars, Dilip Shangvi 20.1 billion dollars, Shiv Nadar 14.1 billion dollars, L N Mittal 14.4 billion dollars, Azim Premji 15.1 billion dollars, Pallonji Mistry 15.5 billion dollars,  and Mukesh Ambani 27.3 billion dollars. The change in the net worth of these billionaires in this one year is highest – +48.8 percent for Adani and negative, -32 percent  of Mukesh Ambani. The State behaves as a minimal player before the power and influence of these billionaires and powerful transnationals of imperialist United States of America, European Union and Japan. If the Modi government is bending before monopolists and political Hinduism of the Hindu Sangh Parivar, it is not at all bothered about unemployment in the country and also deepening of inequality and depreciation of the majority of underclass and lower middle class. The one year of Modi government has plagued India on religious-communal lines and also it has accentuated and deepened social and economic cleavages on class, caste and region basis. This is one year of Modi in India which he is “celebrating”.