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Brahamanical society, Advani’s book and the Sikhs 

Lal Krishan Advani is known in India as the man who lead the Rath Yatra, communalising Indian politics like never before in the post 1947 phase, and finally taking his party from the two seats it won in Lok Sabha in 1984 to grabbing power at the Center. Would the BJP be in the same prime position that it is in now if it had not led the movement to demolish the Babri Masjid? 

In his latest brush with the world of words, Advani has tried to hardsell himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate with a book that should have been called "My Country, My Lies" but is named slightly differently. Of course he is entitled to tell the world how he was told by many that he should not have announced A B Vajpayee's name for Prime Minister's position and how he was a better candidate, the lies about Kandhar hijack are part of the kind of stuff politicians utter to suit their convenience.  

The WSN holds no brief for Advani or his ilk about such lies. But when it comes to matters of faith, Advanis of this world should be careful. The way Advani has made comments about the militancy in Punjab, the kind of words he has used about Sant Bhindranwale, and his criminal acts of omission, all point towards a deeply sick mind. But that would have been perhaps tolerable, if he were merely holding a sick mind. Advani, in fact, holds a deliberately perverted view of politics and has a clear, identifiable and often explicitly stated bias towards the Sikh community. 

Nothing less, of course, was expected of him. What moral fibre would one expect of the man who nurtures people like Narendra Modi within the party, has no compunction in hailing state terrorism, calls Operation Bluestar a success, and is largely and widely seen among liberal circles as a messiah of hatred.  

People like Parkash Singh Badal and the ruling Akali Dal will make some politically correct noises over some observations of Advani, but neither will Badal stress the Anandpur Sahib resolution nor will the Akali leaders ask the BJP to make the party’s stand clear. Sukhbir Singh Badal will not tell us that he will try to convince Advani and BJP that their reading of Bhindranwale is wrong. The SGPC president will continue to attend anniversary marking functions of Operation Bluestar at the Akal Takht, and the Akali Dal will continue to term its alliance with the BJP as a fraternal one.  

What we need to do is to broaden our vision. At a time when the Sikh community is celebrating the Vaisakhi and as we race towards the grand celebrations in October of the 300^th year of the Guruship of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, it is time we cast an eye across the macro picture that India represents today. Ideologies like the saffron thought, parties like the BJP, gross human rights violators like Narendra Modi, politicians like L K Advani and, what is very very important, the convergence of the ideologies of Congress and the BJP when it comes to faith communities like the Sikhs, must underline the larger picture of the brahamanical society we live in. It is this understanding of the Indian society's structures, heirarchies and survival tactics that will help us understand how to take on an enemy as big as Brahamanical thought constructs.  

Our cover story on Advani's book, and the Special Report on scholar Braj Ranjan Mani's writings have the same sense of purpose. It is here that we must study the possibilities of a convergence of the many little and bigger fights being put up by the right thinking people on various fronts. As a community which celebrates the motto of Sarbat Da Bhala, we must solidify a much larger front to take on this vast fighting machine of the brahamanical society.  

9 April 2008
 

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