Frontline – August 02, 2019

criminalpolitical forcesliketheTrinamool [Congress]

andthe BJP?I saidbeforethe electionsthatthe Leftis so

isolatedin theseruinsof liberalpoliticsthatit willhaveto

befightingforbaresurvival.Now,withtheseresults

comingin, the situationbecomesevenmoregrim.

ROLEOFTHELEFT

Havingsaidthat, I do wantto stressthreethings about

theLeftin India.One,it commandsa levelof political

experienceandorganisationaldepth thatis quiteun-

matched.If anyonethinksthatthe socialmovements, the

NGOs [non-governmental organisations], the little

groups hereandthere aregoingtofill thespacesfrom

which the Left is beingforcedto retreat,thatis justnot

going to happen.Second, theLeftis theonlyforcein

Indiathathasa coherentvisionanda comprehensive

socialunderstanding fromthe standpointof the poorand

the working class as a

whole. Third,the Leftin In-

dia has an extraordinary

presencein theintellectual

andartistic life of the coun-

try;no otherpoliticalforce

comesanywherenear.The

basic resources are still

there,eventhough thebe-

ginningof a reconstruction

willnowrequiretremend-

ousaudacity.

After all that has

happenedoverthe pastfive

years, nothing about the

electionsof 2019is really

fundamentally surprising—

noteventheprospect that

the nextfive yearsare likely

to be verymuchworse.An

agethatourIndependence

hadinaugurated doesseem

to be closing,though, andtheyoungwillnowinherita

countryso extensivelydamagedthattheywillhaveno

choicebutto remake it, fromthe bottomup.

TheHindutvaright-wingoffensivehasattainednew

heightsduringtheModiperiod.Moblynching,cold-

bloodedmurders,assassinationplots,stiflingdissentby

right-winggroupswerethedailynormin thecountryin

thelastfiveyears,andit continuesso.Howdoyou

analysethese?

Youareof courserightaboutthisescalation,but

thingsshouldbe seenin perspective.Therepublicwas

bornin themidstof a communalholocaustandthe

largest religion-basedmigrationof peoplesin human

history,Hindus andSikhsmigrating fromPakistanand

MuslimsfromIndia.Communalviolence hasbeenwith

us eversinceandindeedsincewellbeforeIndependence

andPartition. Thereare undoubtedlymillionsof Indians

whoare perfectlytolerantin theirsociallivesandsecular

in theirpoliticalconduct. Butoneshould alsoremember

VINAYAKDAMODAR

Savarkar.He said Hindus

shoulddeal with their

Muslimproblemin the way

the Nazisdealt with their

problemwith Jews.

THE

HINDU

ARCHIVES

SHAKILAPATHAN,asurvivorof the 2002 riots in
Gujarat,breaks down while narratingher storyat a
pressconferencein Mumbaiin March2011.Violence
pays handsome electoraldividendsin India.Both Modi
and Shahwere hardlyknownbeforethe 2002violence,
followingwhichtheir marchwas unstoppable.

VIVEK

BENDRE

BAJRANGDALactivistsattackinga group of peoplewith
milchcows at the railwaystation in Bhubaneswar in July
2017.SanghParivaroutfits routinelydeploy low-intensity
but unremittingviolence withoutfear of reprisal.

BISWA

RANJAN

ROUT