L.K.Advani recently demanded Omar Abdullah’s ouster for an “Unpardonable Gaffe”. In fact, BJP had been earlier also demanding his resignation for mishandling the present situation in Kashmir. Interestingly, mishandling for the Hindutva Brigade means Omar Abdullah’s failure to come down on protesting Kashmiris with a stronger hand and crush them more mercilessly. For likes of Advani in BJP every Kashmiri Muslim is a “Pakistani Terrorist” who has to be liquidated. BJP considers partition a betrayal of Akhand Baharat and for them undoing the partition is the ultimate “Invisible” goal notwithstanding the fact that Jaswant Singh blames Pandit Nehru for partition! In fact, the Hindutva Brigade, according to Arundhati Roy has already turned India into the “Upper caste Hindu corporate Republic!” Hatred of Hindus against Muslims has a long background.

It is a fact of history that the Muslims invaded India umpteen times. A number of these invaders like Mehmud of Ghazni, Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Abdali, Halagu Khan, and many others ravaged North India savagely. Their homes were destroyed, thousands were massacred, their temples were demolished, and in the long run they came and ruled India for over 800 years. Finally, instead of leaving they took half of their country and made it a permanent home through their local converts. This is what is given as the basis of the growth of Hindutva. Probably the members of the Hindutva Brigade feel that they have every right to take revenge from their fellow countrymen professing the Islamic faith as they are related to the invaders.

This hatred is more in the North than in the South because it is the Northerners who faced the brunt of Muslim invasions. One would have thought that after partition the hatred would be over as the Muslims had been isolated but it has instead deepened because the present rulers refuse to accept the fact that India is basically a Hindu State. This gives the Hindutva Brigade the opportunity to mobilise the masses to rise against the so called secular leaders and their followers who are alleged to be appeasing the Muslims and their mentors. There have been many incidents directed against the Muslim population and their institutions which had been earlier reported to be the handiwork of Indian Muslim Youth and their foreign collaborators. However, investigations have revealed that most of these violent incidents had been perpetrated by Hindu extremist groups.

The first person to expose this nexus of Hindu extremists involved in these violent incidents was late Hemmant Karkare of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad who was killed mysteriously in 26/11 episode. This exposure had coined the new phrase, the “Saffron Terror!” The Prime Minister and the Home Minister gave official recognition to the new phrase, the “Saffron Terror” in their addresses to the All India Police Chiefs’ Conference sometime back. It is an official admission to the existence of a terrorism of a different kind. All terrorist terminology had been earlier reserved specially for the Muslims only. The “Saffron Terror” itself is not a new phenomenon at all. It has been always there in different forms but without any appropriate title. Now it has been officially assigned a proper name like the other brands of terrorism.

Hindutva is being practised throughout India in a very subtle and sophisticated way. The main target has been the Muslim minority. However, in recent times the Christians have also been targeted. One would not mind overt “Saffron Terror” as there are now umpteen types of terror going round everywhere. However, the most damaging part of the “Saffron Terror” is its covert and invisible part. The “Hindu interest” has become India’s “National Interest”. Every section of society is permeated with these feelings. Be it the administration, security apparatus, bureaucracy, judiciary, or any other part of the social and political set up. In India it is difficult to find a genuine secularist or a progressive. They cannot give up their basic prejudice and hatred. They only hide it under various cloaks.

No doubt there are honest intellectuals and members of civil society who may be real secular and progressive people but they are in a minuscule minority. They are unable to make any dent in the Hindutva steel armour! Ultimately, it is the extremist Hindu view which prevails. Narinder Modi, the “Butcher of Gujarat” who has been touted as a possible candidate for the Prime Minister’s post in future is a living example of this rise of the Hindutva Brigade. Kashmir’s recent killings of the unarmed youth are an example of this extremist feeling generated by the Hindutva Brigade in all walks of life. These soldiers or even their mentors have no sincere and genuine remorse on these killings notwithstanding the lip service rendered from time to time. In fact, they would have been happier if the number was more!

Coming back to the missive of Advani, one is reminded of the events of early fifties. It is said that the history repeats itself and the recent events corroborate the saying. It was again the Hindutva Brigade which started the Parija Parishad agitation in Jammu in early fifties for total merger of Jammu & Kashmir into India under the banner of “Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan”. It was this agitation which was instrumental in making Omar Abdullah’s grand father make a somersault. He had crushed Kashmiri Muslims for six years for merely uttering the name Pakistan but no one in India complained. Being a progressive and a nationalist he tried to put down the Hindutva Brigade protagonists in Jammu. Entire India’s media raised uproar that Sheikh Abdullah was killing Hindus!

This single instance made the truth dawn on him and he turned against India. He was unceremoniously removed and the merger was carried out systematically. Sheikh Abdullah was a committed nationalist but at the same time he had a Muslim streak. The present ruler is much more than a committed nationalist. He has a non-Muslim foreign mother as well as non-Muslim Indian wife which make him more nationalist than any average Kashmiri Muslim! Omar Abdullah’s entire dynasty for last 63 years has faced the wrath of the people for being extra-loyal to India. In spite of this the Hindutva Brigade led by Advani doubts his credibility! The RSS Chief is very uncomfortable with the word, “Saffron Terror” and has even put Ayodhya on the back burner and plans to concentrate on Kashmir which they seem to have made into a stronger symbol of Hindutva than the Ram Mandir.

Seeing the Hindutva attack, one would have thought that the history may repeat itself but unlike Pandit Nehru, the present Congress Government has given full and total support to Omar Abdullah! This makes the whole episode appear like the scenes from a well orchestrated play!