Come
elections and some emotional issues are brought on. The recent
campaign by BJP associate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has come at
a very crucial time. While the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is groping
for victory, it could not have thought of better issue, Afzal
Khans tomb, to whip up emotional hysteria to garner more votes.
This time both parties are planning their strategy in a slightly
different fashion. While BJP is harping on Tiranga (Tri color)
agitation of Uma Bharati and are trying to demolish Afzal Khans
tomb, Shiv Sena is taking up the issue of Savarkar in full steam.
Needless to say all these issues have nothing to do with the
problems of daily lives of people but are meant for bringing
in polarization of votes for the electoral purposes.
The
demolition of Afzal Khans tomb is a very complex issue. In this
case the attempt is not to prove that there was a temple, which
was demolished to build this tomb but that the tomb is a blot
on Maharashtrian self pride, since Afzal Khan was against Hindus
etc. Not many knew that none other than Shivaji himself, who
had slain Khan in an encounter, built this tomb. This encounter
was planned as a negotiation meeting, which was called on the
understanding that both Shivaji and Khan will come to meet without
arms. Violating this Shivaji carried the iron claws. Interestingly
it was Shivajis spy Rustam-e-Jaman who advised him to carry
this secret weapon. In the scuffle, which followed their meeting,
Shivaji killed Afzal Khan. Following Shivajis attack on Khan,
Khans private secretary, Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni attacked
Shivaji with his sword. Shivaji survived the attack.
Following the death of Afzal Khan, Shivaji with his magnanimous
attitude got the tomb of
Khan made from his funds. Pure and simple it was a battle between
two kings for power and religion had nothing to do with this.
RSS in its agenda of spreading hatred through concocted history
is trying to pick up all these scattered events and giving them
the communal color. This view totally forgets that Kings were
not aligned along religious lines. Shivajis initial battles
were against the Chandra Rao More another Maratha chief who
was ruler of Javali, a nearby Kingdom. Similarly it was Raja
Jaisingh who represented Aurangazeb in his confrontation against
the Mughal rule of Delhi. Can one forget that most of the mughal
Emperors had Hindu kings as in charge of their revenue departments,
or the likes of Raja Mansingh who was the Commander in Chief
of Akbar? Instances abound, loyalty was the central marker for
the Kings, kings employees and the subjects of the kingdom.
One cannot forget Hakim Khan Sur who was on the side of Rana
Pratap and laid down his life for him in the battle of Haldi
Ghati. Shivaji himself had Maulana Hyder Ali as his confidential
secretary and many a Muslim generals in his army, more particularly
in the cannon and naval divisions. Aurangazeb, who is regarded
as the most bigoted Muslim king had around 34% court officials
in high places that were Hindus. Bahadur Shah Jafar went on
to lead a section of Indian Kings, Hindus and Muslims, against
the British in the 1857 revolt. Many other kings kept aloof
from this anti British battle and sided with British during
this.
The British initiated most of the lopsided presentation of History.
As they came here and gradually usurped the power, they had
to rule, for which they had to win over the loyalty of the people
away from the Muslim Kings. Through two of their books, James
Mill, History of British India, and Elliot and Dawson's eight
volume History of India as told by her Historians, saw the whole
past as a conflict between Hindus and Muslims. Also to demonize
the Muslim Kings they propagated that Muslim Kings destroyed
Hindu temples, spread Islam on the strength of sword and heaped
atrocities on Hindus. They (British) claimed that they have
come here on the mission from the God himself to civilize the
barbarians here, white mans burden, and also that they wanted
to save the Hindus from the atrocities of Muslim Kings. One
is struck by the similarity of the language of the colonial
powers. Not very long ago our own George W Bush also claimed
that he is attacking Iraq to save the Iraqis from the atrocities
of Saddam Hussein. And the rest, like his liberating actions
in Abu Graib prison and other tortures heaped on Iraqis is too
well-known to be recounted again.
This communal view of History was picked up the Communalists,
both Muslim and Hindus and modifies in their own way for their
own political gains. The Togadias and Modis merrily project
the murder of Afzal Khan as the victory of Hindus over the Muslims.
And in their effort to break the Indian community into warring
religious communities the offspring's of RSS are on the hunt
to discover the so-called contentious spots. Having got a major
break through the demolition of Babri Masjid, they feel such
discoveries of History can bring them in power. So they went
in to create> problem in Baba Budan Giri dargah (Datta Pitham),
Idgah Maidan (Rani Chennama ground), Maula Masjid (Bhojashala),
Haji Malaang (Malanggadh) and so on. Their Hate department is
working overtime to discover the spots which can create problems,
which can create violence and in turn give them power which
they are desperately seeking to maul the democratic and liberal
space, which is the prerequisite for social transformation.
The response to post Babri spots shows that RSS may not succeed
in its designs. Though emotive issues make the people blind,
there a limit to which they can be blinded. It seems the formula,
which RSS progeny thinks is sure to work for breaking the unity
of Indian society, may not work beyond a point. Thanks to the
enlightened people that RSS offspring's are biting dust one
after the other. One waits with baited breath as to what other
gimmick Advanis and Togadias have in store to attack the plural
and syncretic values of Indian society.
