The contrasting pictures came up last month on the very next day of the inauguration of the new parliament building which has once again showcased the game plan of the RSS-BJP combine. This was obviously in contrast to the blows they received recently through the people’s verdicts. The inaugural function of the new parliament building on Savarkar’s birthday was a clear show of their malicious agenda to make our democracy a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ based on the most retrograde ideology. The BJP has the audacity not to invite the President of India, who is the head of the Parliament, to the function, maybe because she is a tribal and a widow. All the opposition political parties have boycotted the function. In an ugly show of authoritarian and feudal might, reminding one of the coronation of a Hindu King of old times, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has brought in all the old imageries and practices of brahmanism to the inauguration of the citadel of Indian democracy, our Parliament house. They have made an effort in a clear distortion of recent history propagating a lie to establish an insignificant gift to the then Prime Minister, the so called ‘sengol’ as a symbol of political power. It was brought out from the museum and in a totally religious function, performing puja with a group of Brahmins (from Tamilnadu), and was established in the Parliament. This function was designed to nullify all the values of our freedom struggle – the anti-imperialist, anti- feudal/rule of kings, and the dream of bringing justice and power to the economically and socially downtrodden of our country.
In the second set of pictures, the pride of our country, Olympic and international games’ medal winning athletes – women wrestlers who were in a peaceful protest during the last more than one month at Jantar Mantar, demanding an impartial enquiry and action under the existing legal provisions against BJP MP and President of Wrestlers Federation of India Brijbhushan Saran Singh, were thrashed and dragged on the streets of Delhi by the Police under Amit Shah. Criminal cases were filed against them under various sections including being anti-national. This was symbolizing the rot of the present rule which will go to any extent to protect such a criminal. In Another most shocking news of that day was the cold blooded murder of forty villagers belonging to the minority Kuki tribes in Manipur by the Armed forces and police in a so called ‘crackdown’.
While these show the authoritarian anti-people character of the state, the next week has seen the worst tragedy of recent times, the multiple train accidents at Balasore, Odisha exposing the after effects of privatization. 288 valuable lives were lost, hundreds got permanently disabled and nearly a thousand were injured. But the Ministers and the BJP-RSS media and social media wing utilized even this tragic occasion through a massive campaign to spread communal venom with lies about a non-existing Muslim station master conspiring to cause this tragedy! Shamelessly, in the last week, the government has handed over the ticket booking of Indian Railways to Adani!
In Uttarakhand, with false propaganda, Muslims are being targeted and are being forced to flee from villages. In many places in the country false propaganda along with planned incidents to instigate communal clashes are being organised by these forces. This is the only way this procorporate force can mobillise their lumpen army. Only class unity can challenge this corporate communal nexus and their venomous machinations to divide the people. In this situation, it is all the more important for us to carry out our plan of action through the campaign and struggles on the basic issues of the people on various fronts. The Campaign followed by workers’ Padav called by the Joint platform of Central trade unions from 9 August Quit India Day and the Night vigil called by CITU-AIKS-AIAWU on 14 August on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of our independence are occasions to mobilise the toiling classes against the chest-thumping anti democratic misuse of the Sengol.
