The Hindu (mis)leadership

The Hindu (mis)leadership Sameer Bhagwat The most surprising aspect of the Hindutva discourse has been that the leaders of the movement have been chosen by its visceral enemies. Take a recent example: Narendra Modi for a period of time, post-Godhra, was accepted as the tallest Hindu leader, and for many this still endures notwithstanding his staggering temple demolition drive. The last 5 years have more than confirmed Narendra Modi to be only a secular leader (heading towards becoming secular) doing nothing at all about the sizeable Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrator population in Ahmedabad itself (no, not even in sound bytes). Yet the myth of Modi being a Hindu leader endures, though for most the veneer is wearing off. Exactly the same thing happened before with L.K. Advani. The same secular media demonised him and, taking its cue from its sworn enemies - if you guys hate him so much there must be some good in him - Hindu society made him its leader, irrespective of what pronouncements Advani himself made. Even as Advani declared 6 December 1992 to be the saddest day in his life, Hindu society anointed him ‘Sardar the Second.’ In power, when Advani called for governance-sans-ideology, Hindu society blamed Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The blinkers finally came off (not even after Kandahar) after BSF Jawans were murdered by Bangladeshi (Muslim) goons and their bodies sent back like animal carcasses. Advani as Home Minister pleaded helplessness as he was busy batting for Sheikh Hasina to win the elections in Bangladesh – a supposedly grand strategy, as Hasina was supposed to be pro-India; but she was already the PM when these monstrosities took place, and she lost the elections to boot! The die-hard Advani fan finally bit the dust when Advani eulogised Jinnah. To those who oppose the fundamental premise of this article, I ask only the following question: If Modi had been hauled over coals by the media for the 250+ HINDU lives lost in the Gujarat riots, or if the media had cornered Advani on the betrayal of Kar Sevaks’ sacrifices in pulling down Babri mosque by describing it as a saddest day, would they have become the Hindu leaders they became?