Will you be able to digest the ‘truth’ that history reveals?

Satirically, nowadays Sanjay Rauthas emerged as a politician who only bowls ‘wide balls.’ He is a ‘zero shadow’ of Thackeray father-son (Uddhav and Aaditya) duo. He proclaims that only he is a ‘rokhthok’ (fearless) writer. And this so-called rokhthok writer, recently, made a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Parivar on the issue of Ram Mandir. He also insisted that members of the RSS Parivar and leaders and activists of the BJP must give evidence of their participation in the movement for Ram Mandir construction.

Raut has been agitated ever since Eknath Shinde left Uddhav Thackeray almost a year-and-a-half ago and since then he knows not what he is talking. Maharashtra witnessed how Raut had gone unrestrained when he was in power under Thackeray father-son duo’s shelter. Unlike Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray, Raut was also under the impression that they will continue to be in power in the state forever. Eknath Shinde, who breathed revered Hinduhridaysamrat Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb’s Hindutva ideology, overthrew Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut’s government as they had betrayed Balasaheb’s Hindutva. And I believe it is now that Raut has come to terms and is finding it difficult to digest the truth of not being in power and hence he is resorting to blabbering every now and then.

The andolan for Ram Janmabhoomi started in 1984 under the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s banner. At that time, all organizations of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Parivar had participated in that movement. It was in those days that L.K. Advani, the then president of the Bharatiya Janta Party had carried out a ‘Rath Yatra’ from Somnath to Ayodhya on this issue of Ram Mandir. This Rath Yatra had changed the face of Indian political scenario. The Sangh Parivar’s andolan and Lal Krishna Advani’s Rath Yatra brought ‘Hindutva’ to centre stage of national politics which had till then remained confined to being a regional issue. Several prominent leaders of the BJP along with thousands of ordinary workers were sent behind bars for these agitations. It may be recalled how in 1990, during the first Kar Seva, the then Uttar Pradesh government of Mulayam Singh Yadav had persecuted several

Bharatiya Janata Party workers. At that time, Mr. Raut was busy writing articles for a weekly against venerable Balasaheb Thackeray and Hindutva. I think Raut and Thackeray father-son duo must revisit and apprise themselves about this history all over again.

Also, after the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, in 1992, who was the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had called for ‘Ekta Yatra’ to hoist the tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk. Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi had participated in this yatra. It was this time when terrorism was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir. All government agencies were helpless in front of the rising militant activities in the Kashmir Valley. In that situation too, thousands of workers of the BJP participated in the ‘Ekta Yatra’ of Dr. Joshi. The yatra, which started in Kanyakumari, travelled 20,000 to 25,000 kms and reached Jammu and Kashmir. It was also the time when militants in Kashmir had embarked on their intention to separate Kashmir from rest of the country under the veil of terrorism. Back in those days, BJP leadership decided to carry out this yatra only to give a befitting reply to the militants. And Raut and Uddhav Thackeray were no where to be seen even during that time.

People still remember how Indira Gandhi had imposed Emergency in 1975 and how the Sangh Parivar and the then JanSangh had called for a nation-wide agitation against it. Her government had made several attempts to suppress this anti-Emergency movement by resorting to police and other mechanisms. Hundreds of families of the Sangh and JanSangh got devastated in this struggle. But without caring for their homes, their lives, their jobs and their businesses, these people sacrificed for this fight against Emergency.

In 1951, i.e., soon after the formation of the Jana Sangh, the founder and first national president of the JanSangh, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee launched a movement against Article 370 imposed on Jammu and Kashmir. Shouting slogans ‘Ek desh main do vidhan, do pradhan nahi chalenge’ (you cannot have two constitutions and two prime ministers in one country), hundreds of JanSangh activists, led by Dr. Mukherjee left for Jammu. In those days, entry was banned and permits had to be issued to enter Jammu and Kashmir. But these activists violated this ban order and entered Jammu and Kashmir along with Dr. Mukherjee. Dr. Mukherjee was imprisoned and later he suspiciously died in prison. I don’t think Raut is unaware of this history. Dr. Mukherjee is a great source of inspiration for BJP workers even today.

    Four years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah revoked Article 370 for Kashmir and fulfilled Dr. Mukherjee’s dream. Even Gopinath Munde’s state-wide ‘Sangharsh Yatra’ against Dawood Ibrahim’s aides who had managed to create dominance of criminals in Maharashtra, became a turning point in Maharashtra’s politics. Gopinath Munde never cared while carrying out this agitation against Dawood and his henchmen.

If Raut really wishes to, he will find a lot of evidence of the above-mentioned incidents. But can he count at least one agitation where he participated or was imprisoned or even where he spent at least a few hours inside a police van. No matter how much ‘Shankhapushpi’ he consumes, except for his imprisonment in Patra Chawl case, Raut will be able to cite one agitation where he was imprisoned. And hence, I will repeat, stop asking for evidences of BJP’s involvement in movements and agitations. You will not be able to digest the truth that history will reveal. That’s it for now.

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India -02 January 2024)

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson