The latest General Elections have serious lessons to teach the minorities, Muslims in particular ... To underestimate RSS strength could be sheer adventurism if not suicidal. The ... truth is, no fanatical outfit as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has carried on such sustained and committed work at the grassroots for more than seventy years and this is a record beside which Fascism of Europe pales into insignificance. Its well-orchestrated propaganda of blatant lies out-Goebbelsing Goebbels, disinformation, distortion of history and blind hatred towards Muslims is astounding if not frightening.
The inroads Hindutva had made into all spheres of the Indian polity is too well-known to be retailed here. The abysmal failure of the political parties labelled secular to promote democratic ethos in the country has rendered the legislatures ineffectual ... The forces of law and order have been largely communalized as witnessed in events in Kashmir, the North-East, massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and Punjab and of Muslims in Bombay, Surat and elsewhere; they have become suspect in the eyes of the Dalits, tribal, other minorities and the poor in general. The judiciary has often failed to rise to its constitutional obligation, the latest instance where the Supreme Court rendered justice to Kalyan Singh in thirty hours whereas it is yet to pronounce judgement over the dismissal of Mulayam Singh though he sought justice thirty months ago. The myth that the armed forces are above board has been rudely shattered with scores of their topnotch officers joining the BJP, after retirement, J.G. Nadkarni, former chief of the Indian Navy in a revealing article in The Indian Express dated 11.3.1998, entitled, "The saffron undervest" writes, " .. under their immaculate uniforms, a large number of our senior services men wear a saffron vest" and goes on to point out, "To every serviceman, Pakistan has been, is and will be our principal adversary.
It is natural for him to bear an antipathy to every Pakistani and by extension to every member of the minority community in India. Despite the fact, that not a single case of sabotage or disloyalty occurred during the three wars, every member of the community will always be a suspect." All citizens of India seriously concerned with the future of democracy here must heed the writing on the wall and take immediate measures to forestal likely disasters.
... Muslims are slowly bearing the game by voting for parties or individuals who are the least ill-disposed towards the community. Since this game of numbers is a gamble, it might end up giving a majority to the saffron outfit which would enable the latter to carry out the agenda set for it by the Sangh Parivar ...
To trust that these electoral games alone will keep the communal monster at bay is deceptive. The real task lies at the grassroots. The three thousand year old oppression of the Dalits, the plight of the displaced tribal, and the exploitation and atrocities the poor in general are subjected to, must be inscribed on the agenda of the Muslims. They must be in the vanguard of the movements fighting against criminalisation, corruption and communalism. They must throw in their lot with others demanding facilities for education, employment and health, agitate against price rise, raise their voice against globalisation and uphold the rights of women and children. The saffron tide must be stemmed by forging ties with all those forces who are victims of a state which has ceased to govern, and has never been accountable to its citizens. The fascism of Hindutva must be challenged through the movements of the common people fighting for social justice and it is the people and their indivisible unity that could thwart the conspiracy of the Sangh Parivar. The battle for democracy must be fought decisively and won and the saffron threat must be laid to rest and never be let to rise again. (Source: The Islamic Voice, April, 1998)
