Neue Wache- a building in Berlin, Germany- was erected in early 19th century. In the initial years, it was a memorial to Liberations Wars but later served as the site of annual celebrations by the then powerful Nazi Party. The building houses a sculptor, ‘Mother with her Dead Son’. This very statue is a reminder of the costs of war, war that was seen and projected by Hitler as a means to achieve dominance. Hitler may have died after having drastically failed to realise his ambitions, Germany endured endless sufferings. No family existed that did not lose its member in war. The costs of Hitler’s ambitions were paid by common people, and the statue where a grieving mother is holding her dead son symbolizes this.
It is very simple to understand that the overly ambitious, divisive and great-at-oratory leader plunged not only Germany but all other countries into darkness. Nations have learned their lessons, and a large-scale war has been averted ever since. Indeed, countries have fought proxy wars and the places which were at the heart of these conflicts could never recover from the damages. Iraq, Yemen, Syria and many more countries have only produced war refugees and asylum-seekers, not farm or industrial goods.
What about the present political environment in India? Although analysts have taken note of economic gloom and negative GDP growth, are we realising what’s in the making? Is there a more dangerous thing that seeks our attention?
The signs are all here, and sadly no one is noticing what’s coming. The ruling BJP has, time and again, echoed its stance of making a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’, and to a large extent, they have achieved it. Now one must try to make sense of why the BJP is so adamant at wiping off Congress from the Indian political landscape. It’s because Congress is the only political party that can replace the BJP; the others can only co-exist with the BJP and can never throw it completely out of power. The BJP’s design and party’s long-term goal has virtually nothing to do with India’s socio-economic well-being, the only goal is to remain in power.
And the party has been making all attempts to attain the goal. It is for a reason why the PM and his team invoke militaristic pride every now and then. If there is one thing that is sustaining BJP’s win in national and state elections, it is their clever way of invoking ultra-nationalism. While many are talking about this chauvinism, no one is actually realising where it can take India in the long-run. What do you think will be the electoral outcomes in next 15 years? Indeed, no one can correctly predict, and hence assuming that the BJP will maintain the current trend is not advisable. But what will happen if say people start voting for some other party, which comes out with a slim majority to form government at the centre?
Do you think the BJP will concede? The answer is available; we only need to read the signs. The PM was wearing a military uniform in his recent address on Diwali; why would he do this? A chief of defence staff (CDS) has been appointed to ‘address fragmented approach of armed forces and bring synergy’. In another scene, a section of the film industry is finding political patronage by making films on wars where historical facts can be distorted to instill a sense of militaristic pride in the Indian audience. And lastly, other leaders of the BJP- from national to local levels- have been endorsing a majoritarian stance so that in any event of electoral failure, mass can be mobilized in the name of militaristic and majoritarian pride.
The coming years in Indian politics are quite worrisome. If voters continue to back the BJP by sacrificing their personal growth, BJP can go for misadventures like the Nazi Germany that will ultimately cost India irrespective of whether we win or lose such unwarranted wars. And if voters ultimately decide to shun the BJP, the party will then use the section of populace that blindly backs their ideology to create unrest and maintain the one-party rule. From many in India Inc. to overly sentimental backers, BJP will use them all to ensure they cling on to power. The costs will be borne by the country and its wider population.
suomotu.org 