Like antisemitism in Nazi Germany and anti-black racism of the Ku Klux Klan in America, fanaticism against Muslims has been marking the present social and political scene in India. The two defining features of this poison at the moment are the bulldozers and the Hindutva group’s campaign against the recitation of the Muslim liturgy of the azaan over loudspeakers from the mosques.  

The bulldozers are the new weapons in the hands of the saffron stormtroopers to intimidate the minorities. These have never been used with such ferocity before. But they have now become frightening symbols of the power of the state and the stormtroopers as they raze illegal shops and residences, allegedly owned largely by Muslims. 

The excuse for letting loose the mechanical monsters is that they are only demolishing what the police have identified as "illegal encroachments" or squatting. But rarely are prior notices given to warn the owners as the rules say. Moreover, the bulldozers are unleashed within hours of an area becoming the scene of communal clashes with Muslims being accused of pelting stones at Hindu processions. In state after state, therefore, whether it is Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh or Gujarat, the bulldozers routinely rolled out after an incident of communal violence till they are stopped by judicial order, as in New Delhi recently. 

Bulldozers 

If bulldozers have become a symbol of intimidation, the saffron campaign against the use of loudspeakers from the mosque to call the faithful to prayer is intended to tell the Muslims who holds the whip hand in the country. If the loudspeakers were removed or muted on the orders of the court, few would have had any objections. But such a legal course would not have suited the Hindutva brigade’s purpose of enforcing its writ as in a Hindu 'rashtra' (nation). 

Nothing demonstrates the political objective of the saffronites than the ultraright Maharashtra Navnirman Samiti (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray’s call to silence the loudspeakers within a specified period or else… As the NCP leader, Sharad Pawar, has pointed out, the MNS leader was “underground” till he suddenly realized the value of fomenting hate to revive his dwindling political fortunes. 

What is curious is that Raj Thackeray has had a word of praise for the hardline Hindutva Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, for removing hundreds of loudspeakers from the mosques in his province. Yet, at one time, the MNS cadres were accused of berating the Hindi-speaking vendors from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for plying their wares in Mumbai and other towns in Maharashtra. 

For electoral gains 

It is obvious that the sole motivation for the recourse to bulldozers and the call for a ban on loupspeakers is to demonize a community for the sake of winning votes. The Hindu Right has been playing this deadly game for years. Whether it is the BJP or the MNS, the aim is the same – propagate hate for electoral gain. 

What is more, they have been remarkably successful in this heinous endeavour. Evidently, the people gleefully endorse their devilish ploy. They are not bothered if such divisive tactics create inter-communal barriers and undermine the nation’s unity. What matters are the immediate electoral dividends. 

The Left, too, has been engaged in sowing seeds of separatism. But their targets were social groups – the bourgeoisie – which was vilified in contrast to the glorification of the proletariat. But such categorizations are less dangerous than the use of religion by the right-wing groups which have a more incendiary potential because of the emotional appeal of religion. 

Non-BJP camp 

By using religion and nationalism in tandem, the BJP has taken giant strides forward in the electoral field so much so that its opponents – the so-called secular parties – are at their wit’s end. Unable to find ways and means to counter the emotional appeal of Hindu nationalism, the secularists have sought to imitate the BJP by trying “soft Hindutva" and thereby failing either to win over the core BJP supporters or convincing their own rank and file that this is the correct path. 

Yet, as savants have found out, countering hate is extremely difficult. Hate has a visceral appeal that its opposite – friendliness – doesn’t. As a result, being sociable is usually mocked as a sign of weakness and the advice of turning the other cheek is considered laughable. Not surprisingly, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse, believed that the Mahatma’s benign tolerance had weakened the Hindus. 

(The author is a current affairs commentator. Views are personal)