At the end of Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, the Frankenstein’s monster had finished in the same place where it started. Its creator, the scientist Victor Frankenstein, died wishing that he could destroy the alien he created. What was most unfortunate was that he did not learn from his mistakes.
Within twenty days of the editorial in its mouthpiece Organiser, in which the RSS had virtually censured Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ineffectiveness in delivering the governance and had emphasised that “without strong leadership and effective delivery at the regional level, PM Modi’s charisma and Hindutva as ideological glue would not be sufficient,” the RSS has once again reprimanded Modi by issuing an appeal for peace in Manipur, bringing Modi’s silence into sharper focus.
This observation parenthetically comes from the RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who only in October last year had chastised Modi for non-performance. While speaking at a meet organised by the RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch, he had said, “Even when India has managed to be among the top six economies in the world, we can’t say all is well. 1% of the rich population in India holds 20% of the country’s wealth, while the other 50% has 13% of wealth. We must do something about this economic inequality.” His comments echoed the words of Rahul Gandhi. As per the 2022 Oxfam report, “the top 1 percent in India now owns more than 40.5 percent of total wealth in 2021 while the bottom 50% of the population (700 million) has around 3 per cent of total wealth.”
By criticizing Modi, the RSS certainly cannot absolve itself of the accusations of wrongdoing. RSS, especially its chief Mohan Bhagwat, was quite pleased with Modi’s functioning and he did not leave any occasion to heap eulogy on him as he was consistently laying out the road for the fast expansion of RSS. But with BJP losing the Karnataka assembly election, the RSS leadership has become scared of the future. In fact, some of the decisions of the Karnataka Congress government have rung the alarm bells for the RSS.
RSS has been vertically split on the issue of extending support to Modi. It is the insistence of Bhagwat that RSS continues to project him as indispensable. However, the Waterloo that the BJP encountered in Karnataka has forced the RSS leadership to speak its mind, much to the discomfiture of Bhagwat.
Hosabale is perceived to be Modi’s closest friend in the RSS. Obviously, the latest views expressed by Hosabale, RSS general secretary, gains more importance in the RSS hierarchy: the sarkaryavah, or general secretary, is the deputy to its chief, the sarsanghchalak. While the RSS chief, the sarsanghchalak is Sangh Parivar’s “guide and philosopher”, the sarkaryavah functions as the executive head. Hence, Hosabale’s criticism of Modi’s functioning raises many ominous questions with varied implications.
In his Sunday remark, Hosabale said: “The continuous violence that is going on in Manipur for the last 45 days is extremely worrisome. The violence and uncertainty that started in Manipur after the protest rally organised in Churachandpur on May 03, 2023 at the time of Lai Haraoba festival is to be condemned. It is very unfortunate that the spate of unrest and violence that erupted afterwards among those who have been living a peaceful life with mutual harmony and cooperation for centuries has not yet stopped.”
Hosabale added: “The Sangh appeals to the government, including local administration, police, military and the central agencies, to take every possible step to immediately stop this painful violence, ensure the seamless supply of relief materials among the displaced along with necessary actions to maintain peace and harmony. The RSS also appeals to the entire civil society, political groups of Manipur and common people to take every possible initiative to put an end to the present chaotic and violent situation and also, ensure safety of human life and permanent peace in the state of Manipur.”
He went on: “The RSS stands with the displaced persons and other victims of the Manipur crisis numbering more than 50,000 during this period of terrible grief. RSS is of the considered opinion that there is no place for violence and hatred in a democratic setup, and also believes that the solution (to) any problem is possible only through mutual dialogue and expression of brotherhood in a peaceful atmosphere.”
Hosabale is highly critical of Modi for not interacting with the local people. It is an open secret that Modi and the Chief Minister of Manipur, Biren Singh, do not want any peaceful solution to the crisis as it would impinge the interest of the Meitei, the support base of BJP in the state. The recent three-day visit of Amit Shah failed to overcome the deficit of trust among each other, which is the cause of the present crisis. No sincere effort was made by Shah to bring the two communities on the table to sort out the boiling issues.
Hosabale argued that the crisis could be resolved by simultaneously addressing the sense of insecurity and helplessness among the Meiteis and the genuine concerns of the Kukis. Hosabale’s criticism ought to be viewed in the backdrop of Modi’s outright refusal to mention the “M word” in his monthly Maan Ki Baat. It is a coincidence that Hosabale pulled up Modi on Sunday, the day Modi was narrating his Maan Ki Baat. Modi’s approach to the crisis, his not tweeting on Manipur, nor giving time so far to a political delegation from the state simply strengthens the perception that he consciously avoids speaking on the crisis.
Intensity of anger among the Manipuri people against Modi could be gauged from the simple fact that they boycotted Mann Ki Baat on Sunday and stomped on transistor sets in marketplaces to protest against the prime minister’s deafening silence on the ongoing carnage in the state. The violence in the state has been continuing since May 3, claiming at least 150 lives and displacing over 60,000.
At Singjamei, women displayed posters that said “I oppose Mann Ki Baat”, “Shame Mr Modi. Not a single word of Manipur at Mann Ki Baat”; “No to Mann Ki Baat, Yes To Manipur Ki Baat” and “Modi, No More Drama at Mann Ki Baat”. Binalakshmi Nepram, convener of the Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace, and founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, said in a text message: “Mann ki Baat has become Maun ki Baat as far as Manipur is concerned”.
RSS disparagement of Modi has also given rise to speculation in the political circles about its design to deny him the opportunity to become the public face of BJP for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Modi, instead of taking along the entire BJP leadership, has been depending on his handpicked leaders. These leaders are popular as the Gujarat Team or Modi Team inside the party structure. Some bureaucrats from Gujarat are also in the team. The team members are not answerable to any other national leader.
Hosabale’s outburst against Modi, just two days ahead of Modi’s visit to US, is viewed with scepticism in the BJP circle. Hosabale came out with the remark after 45 days of the violence, which has completely ruined the northeastern state. The observation of the Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh are worth reiterating: “The RSS’s well-known duplicity is in full display as its divisive ideology and polarising activities is changing the very nature of a diverse North-East, of which Manipur is one tragic example. Has its much-celebrated former Pracharak, who now controls the administrative machinery at the Centre and in the state outsourced the public appeal to the organisation that moulded him?”
RSS sources point out that Hosabale’s remark is also a warning to Modi to refrain from turning the party dysfunctional and irrelevant and not to push the agenda of some individual leaders or the Gujarat team. Hosabale’s statement is of immense importance in the prevailing political backdrop as it stresses that there is no place for hatred and violence in a democratic setup. In fact, it outright rejects the claim of the BJP ecosystem that democracy was functioning effectively and Modi government was committed to preserve the democratic ethos.
No doubt Hosabale’s observation – “It is very unfortunate that the spate of unrest and violence that erupted afterwards among those who have been living a peaceful life with mutual harmony and cooperation for centuries has not yet stopped” – puts serious question mark on the functioning of Modi and also on his intentions. His observation – “The RSS is of the considered opinion that there is no place for violence and hatred in a democratic setup, and also believes that the solution of any problem is possible only through mutual dialogue and expression of brotherhood in a peaceful atmosphere” – is a warning for Modi to change his approach. (IPA Service)
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