Believers could be brought in to fight Hindutva ideology, says Govindan

Religious believers and all secular, progressive-minded people should be rallied against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP) combine’s bid to bring in a “neo-fascist rule” in the country, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan has said.

He was opening a seminar on ‘Theocratic state: In India and abroad’, organised by the Keluettan Centre for Study and Research, Kozhikode, on Saturday (August 9).

Mr. Govindan claimed that the country had not yet gone into a “completely militaristic and fascist rule”. “We are under a partially militaristic administration. The Union government has taken control of all independent constitutional institutions such as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Even a section of the judiciary has been compromised. Now, Bharatiya Janata Party spokespersons are being nominated as judges,” he said. Mr. Govindan claimed that if the country moved towards a fully “militaristic administration”, it would pave the way for “neo-fascism”. The CPI(M) leader also highlighted that apart from the RSS-BJP combine that functions under the Hindutva theocratic ideology, there were organisations such as the Jamaat-e-Islami and Church Auxiliary for Social Action, which too were divisive forces.

“These communal organisations represent various theocratic ideologies. However, if they fight with each other, that will not end up in one side winning. Their fight will only result in mutual benefit,” Mr. Govindan said. To fight such forces, the help of all religious believers, who are not communalists, should be needed, he said. Academics K.M. Seethi and A.M. Shinas presented papers on the topic.