Erasing
The Past For
Present Political Agenda
By Ram Puniyani
11 October, 2004
Countercurrents.org
Come
elections and some emotional issues are brought on. The recent campaign
by BJP associate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has come at a very crucial
time. While the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is groping for victory, it could
not have thought of better issue, Afzal Khans tomb, to whip up emotional
hysteria to garner more votes. This time both parties are planning their
strategy in a slightly different fashion. While BJP is harping on Tiranga
(Tri color) agitation of Uma Bharati and are trying to demolish Afzal
Khans tomb, Shiv Sena is taking up the issue of Savarkar in full steam.
Needless to say all these issues have nothing to do with the problems
of daily lives of people but are meant for bringing in polarization
of votes for the electoral purposes.
The demolition of
Afzal Khans tomb is a very complex issue. In this case the attempt is
not to prove that there was a temple, which was demolished to build
this tomb but that the tomb is a blot on Maharashtrian self pride, since
Afzal Khan was against Hindus etc. Not many knew that none other than
Shivaji himself, who had slain Khan in an encounter, built this tomb.
This encounter was planned as a negotiation meeting, which was called
on the understanding that both Shivaji and Khan will come to meet without
arms. Violating this Shivaji carried the iron claws. Interestingly it
was Shivajis spy Rustam-e-Jaman who advised him to carry this secret
weapon. In the scuffle, which followed their meeting, Shivaji killed
Afzal Khan. Following Shivajis attack on Khan, Khans private secretary,Krishnaji
Bhaskar Kulkarni attacked Shivaji with his sword. Shivaji survived the
attack.
Following the death
of Afzal Khan, Shivaji with his magnanimonious attitude got the tomb
of Khan made from his funds. Pure and simple it was a battle between
two kings for power and religion had nothing to do with this. RSS in
its agenda of spreading hatred through concocted history is trying to
pick up all these scattered events and giving them the communal color.
This view totally forgets that Kings were not aligned along religious
lines. Shivajis initial battles were against the Chandra Rao More another
Maratha chief who was ruler of Javali, a nearby Kingdom. Similarly it
was Raja Jaisingh who represented Auranzeb in his confrontation against
the Mughal rule of Delhi. Can one forget that most of the mughal Emperors
had Hindu kings as in charge of their revenue departments, or the likes
of Raja Mansingh who was the Commander in Chief of Akbar? Instances
abound, loyalty was the central marker for the Kings, kings employees
and the subjects of the kingdom.
One cannot forget
Hakim Khan Sur who was on the side of Rana Pratap and laid down his
life for him in the battle of Haldi Ghati. Shivaji himself had Maulana
Hyder Ali as his confidential secretary and many a Muslim generals in
his army, more particularly in the cannon and naval divisions. Auranzeb,
who is regarded as the most bigoted Muslim king had around 34% court
officials in high places that were Hindus. Bahadur Shah Jafar went on
to lead a section of Indian Kings, Hindus and Muslims, against the British
in the 1857 revolt. Many other kings kept aloof from this anti British
battle and sided with British during this.
The British initiated
most of the lopsided presentation of History. As they came here and
gradually usurped the power, they had to rule, for which they had to
win over the loyalty of the people away from the Muslim Kings. Through
two of their books, James Mill, History of British India, and Elliot
and Dawsons eight volume History of India as told by her Historians,
saw the whole past as a conflict between Hindus and Muslims. Also to
demonize the Muslim Kings they propagated that Muslim Kings destroyed
Hindu temples, spread Islam on the strength of sword and heaped atrocities
on Hindus. They (British) claimed that they have come here on the mission
from the God himself to civilize the barbarians here, white mans burden,
and also that they wanted to save the Hindus from the atrocities of
Muslim Kings. One is struck by the similarity of the language of the
colonial powers. Not very long ago our own George W Bush also claimed
that he is attacking Iraq to save the Iraqis from the atrocities of
Saddam Hussein. And the rest, like his liberating actions in Abu Graib
prison and other tortures heaped on Iraqis is too well-known to be recounted
again.
This communal view
of History was picked up the Communalists, both Muslim and Hindus and
modifies in their own way for their own political gains. The Togadias
and Modis merrily project the murder of Afzal Khan as the victory of
Hindus over the Muslims. And in their effort to break the Indian community
into warring religious communities the offsprings of RSS are on the
hunt to discover the so-called contentious spots. Having got a major
break through the demolition of Babri Masjid, they feel such discoveries
of History can bring them in power. So they went in to create problem
in Baba Budan Giri dargah (Datta Pitham), Idgah Maidan (Rani Chennama
ground), Maula Masjid (Bhojashala), Haji Malaang (Malanggadh) and so
on. Their Hate department is working overtime to discover the spots
which can create problems, which can create violence and in turn give
them power which they are desperately seeking to maul the democratic
and liberal space, which is the prerequisite for social transformation.
The response to
post Babri spots shows that RSS may not succeed in its designs. Though
emotive issues make the people blind, there a limit to which they can
be blinded. It seems the formula, which RSS progeny thinks is sure to
work for breaking the unity of Indian society, may not work beyond a
point. Thanks to the enlightened people that RSS offsprings are biting
dust one after the other. One waits with baited breath as to what other
gimmick Advanis and Togadias have in store to attack the plural and
syncretic values of Indian society.