1. Anything but a �Hindu� Party
1. Anything but a "Hindu"
party
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The strange thing
about the BJP is that its voters consider it a Hindu party, its enemies
denounce it as a Hindu party, but the party will call itself anything except a
Hindu party.
�������� Unlike most critics of the BJP, who tend to make their point by quoting sources openly hostile to the party, we should prove our case by going to its own formulations of its ideology.� To summarize the ideological positions of the BJP and its former avatar, the BJS (Bharatiya Jana Sangh), from authentic sources, we will reproduce the brief professions of ideological commitment given in the Constitutions of the BJS (1973) and of the BJP (1992).� The summary given in the BJS Constitution under the heading "Aims and Objectives in Brief", a programme to which all BJS party members pledged their loyalty, are as follows (we give it in its entirety, but change the order so as to group the different points under headings of our own making):
1) Cultural nationalism:
"Political, social and economic reconstruction of the country on the basis
of Bharatiya Sanskriti [= culture] and Maryada [= "limit",
ethics].� Protection and pro�motion
of the cow.� Use of Hindi and other
Pradesh [= provincial] languages as official lan�guages in their
regions.� Changes in the judicial system
to suit the genius of India and fit in with present-day conditions."
2) Political nationalism:
"The establishment of a unitary government and decentralis�ation of
political and economic power.�
Establishment of Akhand Bharat [= un�divided India including the
Pakistani and Bangladeshi territories].�
Complete integration of Kashmir.�
Liberation of territory occupied by China and Pakistan.� A foreign policy based upon enlightened self-interests
of the country.� Modern-most military
armaments."
3) Social concerns:
"Protection of the fundamental rights of the individual and the promotion
of interests of the Society.� Guarantee
of the fundamental right to work and livelihood.� Upholding establishment and protection of the tiller's right to
ownership of land.� Ceiling on agricul�tural
land and redistribut�ion of land.�
Eradication of untouchability.�
Elimination of corruption.� Free
education up to middle class.�
Facilities for medical care and social security."
4) Economic programme:
"Encouragement to small mechan�ised and rural industries.� Nationalisation of basic industries.� Curbing monopolistic tendencies in the
economic sphere.� Determination of
minimum and maximum expendable income.�
Worker's participation in the profit and management of the
industries.� Stabilisation of prices.�
Under headings 1
and 2 we certainly find a nationalist programme, considerably more radical than
anything stated by the later BJP.� Under
headings 3 and 4, we do not find the "rightist" policies which the leftists
always attribute to the Hindutva forces, but a typical social-democratic
programme.� But either way, what we do
not find, is an explicitly Hindu orientation underlying this programme.� One may argue that in its practical
application, Hindu social philosophy boils down to an "integral
humanism" of which this programme is the logical explicitation; but even
then, there should be no reason to be so modest (not to say secretive) about
the Hindu source of this orientation.��
�������� The BJP defines its ideology as
follows:
"Article II: Objective.� The party is pledged to build up India as a
strong and prosperous nation, which is modern, progressive and enlightened in
outlook and which proudly draws inspiration from India's ancient culture and
values and thus is able to emerge as great world power playing an effective
role in the comity of Nations for the establishment of world peace and a just
international order.�
"The party aims at es�tablishing a democratic state
which guarantees to all citizens irrespective of caste, creed or sex,
political, social and economic justice, equality of opportunity and liberty of
faith and expres�sion.
"The party shall bear true faith and allegiance to
the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism,
secularism and democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity
of India.
"Article III: Basic
Philosophy.� Integral
Humanism shall be the basic philosophy of the Party.
"Article IV:
Commitments.� The Party
shall be committed to nationalism and national integration, democracy, Gandhian
Socialism, Positive Secularism, that is 'Sarva Dharma Samabhav', and
value-based politics.� The party stands
for decentralisatio�n of economic and political power."
��������
Upon joining the
party, every BJP member makes the following pledge:
"I believe in Integral Humanism which is the basic
philosophy of Bharatiya Janata Party.
"I am committed to Nationalism and National In�tegrati�on,
Democracy, Gandhian Socialism, Positive Secular�ism (Sarva Dharma Samabhava)
and value-based politics.
"I subscribe to the concept of a Secular State and
Nation not based on religion.
"I firmly believe that this task can be achieved by
peaceful means alone.
"I do not observe or recognize untouchability in
any shape or form.
"I am not a member of any other political party.
"I undertake to abide by the Constitution, Rules
and Discipline of the Party."
�������� I have taken the trouble of quoting the
BJP's explicit statement of its political objectives and methods in full,
because these official self-declarations and the received wisdom about the BJP
are miles apart.� These statements can
be used as counter-evidence by those who are concerned about the slanderous
descriptions of the BJP as "Hindu fundamentalists" standing for
"preservation of caste oppression", for a "theocratic
state", for "communal violence", if not for
"fascism".� However, while
comforting for those who try to prove that the BJP is a nice secularist party,
the cited official statements of the BJP party-line are somewhat worrying from
a Hindu viewpoint.� Indeed, the word
"Hindu" does not figure in them at any point.
�������� Moreover, like in the Indian
Constitution, there is nothing typically Hindu about these BJS/BJP
programmes.� The BJS text still
contained some Sanskrit words which could have been replaced with English terms
without loss of meaning, but the operative term is Bharatiya,
"Indian"; the BJP can do without the Sanskrit altogether (except for
one problematic expression, cfr. infra).�
These manifestoes are entirely in the tradition of Western
liberal-democratic nationalism, and most of the expressions used can be found
in texts of the American and French Revolutions or the speeches of 19th-century
liberal nationalists like Lajos Kossuth or Giuseppe Mazzini.� Not that this is objectionable in itself,
but from a party claiming "Bharatiya culture" as its inspiration,
this wholesale borrowing from the West is not very promising.�
�������� The term integral humanism, the BJP's official ideology, was introduced in Sangh ideology by Deendayal Upadhyaya, as a social doctrine based on Hindu instead of Western thought.� It was given a universalist rather than a "national" name, which in principle I consider a good thing; "Western" ideologies like liberalism and socialism have not been labelled after their country of origin either.� At the same time, a nagging suspicion remains that the term was chosen and promoted as yet another attempt to acquire a "secular" identity.