By Tushar Singh
The BJP came to power in 2014 riding on an Anti-Corruption wave. Today, it seems, BJP is trying to push for a geo-cultural wave. The party’s attempt to spread the message of geo-cultural nationalism became evident during its two-day national executive meeting in Delhi held last week. The meeting included an event with performances from various artists from different states, with the message of nationalism and Integral Humanism as put forward by party ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya. The event was named “Bharat Geetmala”. The event was hosted by Bhojpuri superstar, BJP MP and Delhi President of BJP Mr Manoj Tiwari. “The multilingual musical compositions show will be based on Pundit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideals as a culmination function of his birth centenary after the BJP national executive council meeting,” said head media relation Delhi BJP, Neelkant Bakshi. The event saw performances in Sindhi, Assamese, Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Hindi, Chhattisgarhi, Malayalam and Telugu, clearly indicating BJP will push for several geo-cultural nationalisms throughout the country. BJP aims to start a wave of cultural nationalism in different geographical locations of the country by glorifying their respective pasts.
Old wine in new bottle?
BJP’s push for cultural nationalism is not a new phenomenon at all. In fact, cultural nationalism is one of the foundations on which the BJP is based. It is one of the ideologies which has helped BJP come to power time and again. Therefore, it is quite natural that the BJP uses cultural nationalism as an asset in the General Elections. Across the last three decades of the BJP, the message of cultural nationalism has been integrated into the policy in different ways. During the early days of the BJP, it was through an indigenous economic model of Integral Humanism as postulated by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. During the 1990s it was the vocal Ram Janmabhoomi movement that steered the BJP to form its first-ever Government. And today, it will be cashing in on the need for a national identity for the nation and the rise of populism and Islamophobia around the world which to some extent is affecting India too.
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, the National Vice-President of the BJP, explained what the BJP/RSS mean by cultural nationalism. He writes, –“One can’t deny that all individuals live under multiple identities at any given time and maturity hinges on how skillfully one manages these identities and more importantly, gradually learns to give more emphasis on larger identity without denying the primacy of the primary or smaller identity. This identity helps one continuing with a situation where one feels insecure, threatened, lost, or defeated. Identity is a socio-psychological phenomenon. It is because of this symbolism that imagery, vocabulary and terminologies acquire importance. They connote something and when one is able to decode these, communication happens. Culture enables one to unravel this messaging. And this obviously has several ingredients: language, geography, monuments, persons, music, art, fashion et al. When we in the BJP/RSS talk about cultural nationalism, we mean only this and nothing more. This should explain to the diehard secularists why even a person no less than the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru did not see anything wrong to have iconographic pictures on the pages of the official copy of the Indian Constitution. Or, for that matter, similar paintings below the canopy of structures of government buildings as important as the South Block. The Ashok Chakra on our national flag, Sanskrit verses used as a part of the logo of various government institutions, right from the Indian Navy to the LIC, the lighting of traditional lamps or breaking a coconut at government functions and so on have their origins in the Hindu culture. But when a tradition continues for centuries, it outlives a particular way of worship. It encompasses the entire society regardless of the deity one worships.”
Is it agenda or a mere diversion?
However, a sceptical view of BJP’s push for cultural nationalism must also be brought into the limelight. Indian economy at this point is, according to many, including Subramaniam Swamy, headed for a crash. The rhetoric to improve the conditions of farmers and reduce unemployment from the opposition has grown exponentially in the past few months. Hence, one must ask oneself whether the timing of BJP’s push for cultural nationalism is genuine or intentional. Does the BJP, along with building a strong foundation for 2019, also hope to shift the focus of the media away from the worsening economic condition of the country towards an urgent need for geo-cultural nationalism? Is it another marketing and PR stunt by the BJP to portray Modi as a true nationalist? Or is it a genuine attempt by the BJP of providing the nation with a national identity based on the diversified culture we have possessed for centuries?
Featured source image: Wikimedia Commons
Stay updated with all the insights.
Navigate news, 1 email day.
Subscribe to Qrius
