A Question of Answers: BJP's cultural nationalism includes minorities says Naqvi

After the initial euphoria of the landslide victory in the Gujarat assembly elections earlier this month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be sobering up. There is a sort of a victory hang-over, and party leaders are realising ever so slowly that there are some dangerous aspects to the electoral triumph in the western Indian state.

That is why Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had carried on an aggressive and vicious campaign, is a changed man today, and he speaks of nothing else but development issues.

Other leaders at the BJP headquarters in the nation's capital too are coming round to the view that the victory should not be interpreted as that of the majority Hindus over Muslims and other minorities.

There is even an attempt to re-interpret "Hindutva" in less militaristic terms. As a matter of fact, BJP leaders are now chanting the term "cultural nationalism" instead of the term "hindutva".

Mukthar Abbas Naqvi, one of the few Muslims in this predominantly Hindu political organisation, is a general secretary and spokesman of the party. He hails from Uttar Pradesh, considered the heartland of Indian politics. Much before the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 by Hindu right-wing elements, Naqvi was appealing to his fellow-Muslims to give up the disputed site of the mosque, a view which finds favour among the Muslim liberal intelligentsia today. But Naqvi belongs to a minuscule group of Muslims in the BJP.

Critics point out that the BJP is indulging in the same kind of tokenism that the Congress had practised for years - putting up a lone candidate from a minority community to prove their secular credentials. Naqvi, along with Minister for Civil Aviation Shahnawaz Husain, is in a conspicuous minority within the BJP.

In an interview with Gulf News, Naqvi claimed that the BJP had set up minority cells in every district of the country, and that 575,000 Muslims were members of the party. Though impressive as a stand-alone figure, the real picture emerges when it is compared with the total membership of the party, which Naqvi claims, stands at around 300 million.
Excerpts from the interview:

Question: After the Gujarat victory, it is being said that the Gujarat formula will be repeated in the state elections that are to take place in 2003? Will it really work?
Answer: Gujarat is a unique situation. The victory in Gujarat came because of the party's performance in the state as well as at the Centre in the last four years. It is true that there has been a communal polarisation in the state, which is unfortunate. But this was precipitated by the negative campaign of the opposition parties.

What had happened in Godhra, and the post-Godhra riots are examples of utter barbarity. And we have condemned it. Such things should not take place. In other states, a Gujarat-like situation does not exist. But the party will base its campaign on "cultural nationalism" and on anti-terrorism.

Is not "cultural nationalism" targeted against minorities?
It is a misconception. No party can ignore the minorities. They form an important part of our society. "Cultural nationalism" includes the minorities as well. It is not against them.

But in Gujarat, the BJP campaign, especially that of chief minister Narendra Modi, was geared up against the minorities, especially the Muslims. When he talked about "Mian Musharraf" and about "cross-border terrorism", he was indirectly hitting out against the Gujarati Muslims.
It is not true. Modi attacked President Musharraf because he (Musharraf) described the Gujarat riots as "Hindu terrorism against Muslims" at the United Nations. He had no right to interefere in India's internal affairs. When Modi attacks Musharraf, he is not attacking Muslims in Gujarat. Musharraf does not represent India's Muslims. Musharraf heads a neighbouring country, which is encouragiing cross-border terrorism. Remember, Gujarat is a border state.

Is the BJP doing anything to bring in the Muslims and other minorities?
Yes. The party has minority cells in every district of the country. There are 575,000 Muslims as members of the party.

As a Muslim, do you feel out of place in the BJP?
I do not. It is better for Muslims to be with the BJP than to be with the hypocritical and pseudo-secular parties.

The party played the anti-terrorism card in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in March this year, but it did not work. How and why did it work in Gujarat?
Gujarat is a special case. There the situation was different. There was a communal polarisation – as I have told you earlier – which was caused by the negative campaign of the opposition parties. It is this campaign which had hurt the people of Gujarat. Anti-terrorism is a real issue. It affects Muslims as much as it does Hindus.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is openly and aggressively campaigning against the minorities. How can the BJP say it is not anti-minority?
The VHP has nothing to do with the BJP. They are two separate organisations.

But the VHP supported the BJP in the Gujarat elections, and it had actively campaigned for the party.
The VHP sometimes supports the BJP, and at other times it opposes the BJP. In the last assembly election in Gujarat, the VHP had opposed the BJP. Yet, the party had won a two-thirds majority even then. The BJP is a political party. It wants to come to power to implement developmental programmes. If someone supports us, we cannot reject it. If the Muslim League were to support the BJP, we cannot reject their offer of support.

Many of the VHP members won the election this time on a BJP ticket.
Those who won the election were not office-bearers of the VHP. As a matter of fact, it is the Congress which had appointed a man with Rashtriya Sawayam-sevak Sangh (RSS) roots – the ideological mentor of the BJP - as the president of the state unit, and it had fielded a former VHP member against Narendra Modi in the election.