5/26/2015

ModifiedIndia'sgrowthfriendlysectarianism| openDemocracy

ModifiedIndia'sgrowthfriendly
sectarianism
SAROJGIRI18May2014

Asecularrightwingandagrowthfriendlycommunalismwillbethe
newnameforHindutva'ssectarianextremism.

NarendraModi.Flickr/WorldEconomicForum.Somerightsreserved.

IndiahasnowgotitselfofficiallyModified!ThescaleofthevictoryfortheBJPin
therecentlyconcludedgeneralelectionsinIndiaissuchthatitisnotjustabout
IndiaelectinganotherPrimeMinisterinNarendraModi.TheshiftsintheIndian
polityareverydeepandanalystshavenotevenstartedtodecipheralloreven
mostofthem.SectarianismandHinducommunalismcoupledwithbusiness
friendlygrowthandneoliberalreformsarecomingtotheforeinaradicalanti
establishmentguise.
Tostartwith,wemustgetoverthisdebateaboutwhetherModi'scommunalism
orauthoritarianismwillbetemperedbygrowthorbyIndia'sresilientdemocratic
institutions.Obviously,bigcapitalistinterestsand'ordinarypeople'donotwant
arioteveryotherday.Inthatsense,atemperedormoderateModiisabanal
possibility.
Riotswillbecontrolledormodulatedintheinterestsofbusinessasusual.But
thatdoesnotmeanHinducommunalismitselfwillbetempered.Itmightvery
wellchangeitsmodalityandreappearinagrowthfriendlyfashion.This
temperedversionmightbemoresinister,hydraheaded,thantheextremethat
hascomebefore!
So,asitstands,opposingcommunalviolenceortheextremistsectarianModi
iseasierthanunpackingatemperedcommunalismorthemoderateModi.The
EconomistaswellasothergrowthfriendlycommentatorsdrawthelineatModi
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theextremistsectarian,butnotthemoderateModiwhoiswelcomedas
positive.Thishasbecomeawayforthesecularrightwingtoassertitself.If
onlythingscomebacktonormal,businessasusual,then,itisasserted,
thingswouldbefine.
AmartyaSenisattheforefrontofrejectingtheextremistsectarianismofModi.
ButModialsooccasionsinhimayearningforastrongandflourishingright
wingpartythatissecular,notcommunal.Senpinesforaclearheadedpro
marketprobusinesspartythatdoesnotdependonreligiouspolitics,reminding
himoftheshortlived'classicalliberal'SwatantraParty.
OrtakecorporatehonchoDeepakParekhandbillionaireconsciencekeeper
NarayanaMurthywhooncebothcriticisedModiforthe2002Gujaratprogrom.
ThatdoesnotstopthemfromnowbeingbigfansofModi'seconomicstoday
(May11,2014).
ThebroadorientationofthisthinkingbecomesclearinShekharGuptawho
thinksthatModiperhapsmightfinallybringaboutanendtoIndia'ssocialist
legacyandestablisharealcapitalistsystem.Thismightmeanmassive
deregulation,privatisation,businessfriendlylabourlaws,luringFDIandcapital
intensivegrowth.
TherejectionoftheextremistModithenturnsouttobeavoteforanormal
capitalismandrejectionofanythingleftwingor'socialist'.Thisinsistenceon
doingawaywithcommunalextremismcontainsnothingwhichwoulddeter
normalHindumajoritariandominance.Hence,atemperedcommunalismis
whatrightwingsecularismwillgiveus,alowequilibriumcommunalismanda
fullblowncapitalism.
Thisdoesnotruleouttheoccasionalbigcommunalmassacrefollowedbya
longspellofthislowequilibriumcombination.Perhapsmoderateandextreme
Modiarenoteither/ortheycancoexist.

AsecretHindutvaagenda
Thepointaboutagrowthfriendlycommunalismisnotthatthereisasecret
Hindutvaagendabehindthegrowthstoryorthedevelopmentagenda,asmany
antiModiradicalsclaim(11May2014).TheHindutvaagendaistreatedas
somethingseparatefromthedevelopmentagenda.Insteadthisagendaitself
mustbeunderstoodinitsowntermsandintermsofitssocialdeterminants
andnotjustasafacadetoamoresinistergameofHindutvabehindthe
curtains.
Indeedthetonsofmoneypouredbybigmoneyedinterestsdoesnotjustcreate
a'Modiwave'buthassocialimpact.Ithasmobilised,activatedand
strengthenedhierarchiesandoppressiverelationsacrosstheentiresocial
space.Itseemstohavemobilisedlumpenisedlowerelementsintoawider
connectionwithbigcapitalistinterests,fundinganentirereactionaryphalanx
acrossthesocialbody.Itisplainlyanintensificationoftheclassstruggle.It
goestotheveryheartofthesocialquestion.
Identifyingcommunalismintermsofitssocialdeterminantsallowsustogo
beyondunderstandingModi's'softfascism'asonlysuppressionoffreedomof
speechorevenjustminoritypersecution.So,forexample,notjustHindutva,
evengoodgovernancemightbearticulatedinextremistsectarianterms.
Preventingriotsagainstminoritiesdoesnotseempartofgoodgovernance.Nor
wouldrepealingdraconianlawsliketheArmedForcesSpecialPowersActfall
underit.WemuststartdecipheringsomethinglikeHindutvaintheageofgood
governance,asinthecaseoftheMuzaffarnagarriots.Goodgovernance,the
secularrightwingdevelopmentmantratoday,canhardlybedisarticulatedfrom
atemperedcommunalism,ifnotHindutvaitself.
Hindumajoritarianismdoesnotinanycaseneedanexplicitlymurderouspolicy
towardsminorities.Opposingreservations,opposing'minorityappeasement'
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andtheHinduuppercastemajorityplayingthevictimandcallingfor
meritocraticcompetitionallofthese'normal',nonextremiststancesalready
nurtureacertaincommunalism(andcasteism)withoccasionalopenlyviolent
eruptions.ThisinitselfisnothingnewinIndia.Ittookplaceundertheearlier
seculargovernments.Whatisnewisthatnowoppositiontosectarian
extremismopensthewayforthesecularrightwing:agrowthfriendly
sectarianism.
Thesecularleftparticipatestoovigorouslyinthisopposition,usingextreme
languageagainstModicallinghim'communalfascist'andsoonandyetthey
tendtooverlookthesocialdeterminationsofcommunalismandobscurethe
lineamentsofclassstruggleattheheartofthephenomenon.Theyarefullof
moraloutragebutultimatelyalignwiththesecularrightwingestablishment.
Indeed,theparliamentaryleftdecriesModi's'softfascism'butcannotbreak
theircringingdependenceontheCongresspartywhichintoday'sdiscourseis
basicallythearistocraticallyexpansiveNehruGandhiDynasty.Manysocial
movementstooaremiredinthisdependenceandhenceworkedthrough
CongressagenciesliketheNationalAdvisoryCouncilchairedbySoniaGandhi.
Thislefthasnocritiqueof'theideaofIndia'whichhascometobeassociated
withtheDynasty.Naxaliteleftpartieswhohavealeftwingcritiqueofthis'idea
ofIndia'arelabelledasterroristsoradventurists.ButtheNaxaliteleftdoesnot
asamatterofprinciplecontestparliamentaryelections.Henceatonepointor
anotherthetaskof'challenging'thestatusquoalwaysfallsupontherightwing.
Interestingly,theCongressinitiatedtheneoliberalreformswhichModivowsto
continuethesecularistsandthe'softfascists'havemuchincommon.Instead
ofseeingthiscontinuitybetweentheCongressandBJP,theparliamentaryleft
attackstheBJPonbehalfoftheCongressandnotindependently,onitsown
terms.ModicouldthereforedelegitimisetheleftandothernonBJPopponents
oftheCongressbycallingthemtheBteamoftheCongressandtheDynasty.
TheneoliberalreformsinitiatedbytheCongressarenowseizedbytheBJPand
givenaradical,antiestablishmentspin!Modi'sownlowercaste(Other
BackwardClass)statusandhisteasellerrisingtobethePMbackstory
madethisantiestablishmentpackagingeasier.
ThereforeModi/BJPhasbeenabletoposeasantiestablishmentandstanding
forthesociallymarginalised.ItisinthiscontextthatModihasemergedasthe
strongmanaboutwhomtheworldissupposedtowonder,'whoishelike?':
Putin,LeeKuanYew,Ahmedijinad,ArielSharon,XiJinping,Thatcher,Shinzo
AbeorReagan.PerhapsmostlikeSharon,withthedifferencethatModiwas
moredirectlyconnectedtothe2002pogrominGujaratthanSharonwastothe
SabraandShatilamassacre.AndalsolikeThatcher,inhiscommitmentto
neoliberaleconomicsanddestroyingworkingclasspower.

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