Invoking India's Fuhrer
By Ram Puniyani
19 January,
2009
Countercurrents.org
During the Vibrant Gujarat
Global Investment summit (December 2008), the top industrialists cheered
their fellow captains of industries calling for Narendra bhai to be
next Prime Minister. It is claimed by the organizers of this glittering
function that it could solicit an investment of 12 Lakh Crores in
Gujarat. It is another matter that the analysts point out that this
data is a make believe fiction. A Right to Information, RTI, filed
to find the actual investment in Gujarat shows that out of the committed
investment of previous summit only 23% materialized, and the current
data has been fudged to include the existing ongoing projects and
some projects which fall in the kitty of central Government. While
some investment has taken place and some has been committed a deliberate
hype has been created in the figures to create an image of Gujarat
as being number one state of India due to the leadership of Modi.
Why the industrialists are going gung ho about Modi needs to be understood
as it has dangerous portents for the country. Gujarat is a state which
has been ruled by BJP from last over a decade. It was already amongst
the more developed states of India, even before BJP came to power
and even before Modi took over as Chief Minister. What has happened
during this last decade?
Two major processes have been observed. One relates to the issues
of human rights and other to the indices of socio economic progress.
Gujarat's human-rights record is abysmal and shameful to say the least.
It is a state where complicity of the state in the communal violence,
under the leadership of the chief minister, has been most blatant.
The Post Godhra Gujarat violence has been a new low in the arena of
atrocities in this century. Even before the truth of Godhra incident
came to surface Modi gave signals for anti Muslim pogroms and the
RSS affiliates co-opted the poorer sections to butcher the Muslim
minorities. The same was followed up by attacks on Christians. The
tiny Christian minority of the state faced unprecedented riots on
the eve of many a Christmas celebrations, especially in the Dangs
district.
The victims of Gujarat violence are wandering even now and the studies
show that over five Lakh Muslims, who have been affected by the violence,
have been helplessly readjusting to lack of facilities and proper
rehabilitation. At another level state has been slipping in its record
of condition of weaker sections of society. It now stands behind Orissa
and Bihar in children's education (Annual Status of Education Report,
2008, IE Jan 15). On the hunger index it is again amongst the 'critical'
areas of the World, the hemoglobin levels of women of child bearing
age women has fallen badly (Third round of National Family Health
survey report 2006). Overall the large section of Gujarat society
has been faring badly.
There are regular reports in the newspapers about farmers' suicides
and increasing atrocities on dalits in Gujarat. As far as women are
concerned it is during last 15 years or so that sex ratio is declining
and Gujarat has joined the infamous low sex ratio states-Haryana,
Punjab etc. The atrocities against women are reflected by the cases
of gang rape and mass rapes as came to light in Patan. And this is
being projected as number one state in the country!
Industrially also after the total shutdown of textile industry now
the diamond industry is declining, thousands of small industrial units
have shut their shops, and employment levels are falling. One can
safely conclude that in Gujarat, a small section of 'Shining India'
is progressing at the cost of large sea of Gujarat people who are
suffering.
The case of Nano factory in Gujarat will make the matters clear. The
tax payer's money has been siphoned off to this factory, huge loan
at the rate of 0.01%, continuous free water supply has been provided
and the vast chunk of 1100 acres of land has been given to this factory,
no stamp duty, no registration fee! In economic terms analysts have
calculated that each car rolling out from Tata factory will have the
subsidy of 60000 rupees. This pattern of memorandums of understanding
(MoU) make it clear that Big capital is fond of Modi as he is acting
as their agent to siphon off public money into their coffers, all
in the name of development. Robin Hood used to rob the rich to distribute
it to poor, here is a leader robbing average tax payer to feed the
rich.
Do the industrialists not see the worsening plight of the state under
Modi's leadership? They know as much about the state of affairs of
Gujarat as is known, but they are not bothered about worsening plight
of school education, violence against women, dalits and issues of
this type. For the Capital, the likes of Tata, Ambani and Mittals,
the World is there so that they can make their profits, can live the
life of luxury and affluence, and this luxury can also be there for
a small circuit. As BJP slogan went in the last general elections,
they ape to create a small shining island around which sea of misery
and deprivation should survive to serve the interests of the industrialists
and their cohorts. The current state of affairs for big industrialists
is similar to what existed in Germany. The worsening economic crisis,
gradually needed that they repress the human rights, the weaker sections
of society with ruthlessness so that their so called
'development' can persist. And Hitler's call to eliminate Jews gave
them that message that here is the right horse to back. If you are
repressive for 'outsiders', you will repress the 'insider', the labor,
the dalit, and the marginalized with equal ferocity.
Modi's terror against minorities has given the signal to Industrialists
that here is a man who can bloat his chest with pride while maiming
and butchering the weak. Here is the man who has 'clear politics',
politics in the service of affluent, who can cleverly flaunt the label
of 'development' while internal rot sets in and the Human rights are
trampled mercilessly. It serves them right. So they are all ga ga
about Modi. Ashish Nandy, the reputed social scientist, after meeting
Narnedra Modi said that Modi has a classic fascist persona. That did
come to light for every body to see during Gujarat carnage. And his
facilitating the path for Industrialists has reinforced the message
that this man is capable of trampling democracy and preserve the interests
of the Big Capital.
It may sound a bit far fetched to compare this RSS pracharak turned
chief minister with the greatest tyrant in the contemporary history.
But similarities are staring in our face. Hitler adorned the ideology
of German Nationalism to oppress the Jews, Trade Unionists, communists
on one hand and workers on the other. In the process he did abolish
democracy and adopted a militarism which was a prelude to the destruction
of the German state. Modi already has been indoctrinated in the Hate
ideology of RSS, in the concept of Hindu Rashtra and militaristic,
aggressive attitudes towards neighbors. History can be a big teacher
if we want to learn.
In the long term Hitler, Modi, German Nationalism and RSS ideology
may sound solutions to Big Capitalists and section of affluent middle
class, but surely nation is not just these big guns and not just aggressive
attitude towards neighboring states. This is sure recipe for disaster
in the long run. Modi's problems with BJP, Advani, Shekhavat apart,
he has shown the worst of fascist mind set, that's why the ilk of
Ambani and Mittlas are trying to promote him as the next Prime Minster.
What is needed is that we revive with all vigor the values of freedom
movement, the equality of all religious communities, the liberal space
for struggle for democratic and human rights. The Industrialists'
tubular vision does not permit them to have a look at society as a
whole and that's why a section of them promoted Hitler in Germany
and a section of them is invoking the Indian version of Hitler, Narendra
Modi.