In one of the recently released Malayalam films, the leader of the saffron organization, under the pretext of a local issue, is portrayed as taking advantage of the protagonist by making him a 'scapegoat'. While we may have dismissed in jest those scenes as political satire, a remark heard in Kerala the other day about sacrifice is not to be taken lightly as a joke. The reason: it was none other than the Home Minister of the country who came to Kerala and said, , 'patriotism alone is enough to work for BJP anywhere in the country. But to work in Kerala three things are needed : patriotism, willingness to sacrifice and courage. Anyone familiar with the actions of Amit Shah as a BJP leader and as a home minister in a state and the Centre, will be convinced that he is not a person who says such things without meaning something serious. And he chose the BJP's Scheduled Caste conference to make that pronouncement and to hide the fact that many political organization workers (mostly leftist workers) have been murdered by the Sangh Parivar in Kerala and to remind them that their party workers are working in dangerous conditions and should be willing to sacrifice their lives.
The venue chosen to deliver the sacrificial speech also is significant given the fact that the Sangh Parivar has pursued its bellicose politics in other parts of the country, including the Gujarat and Kandamal massacres, by arming Dalits and tribal and backward communities. Shah, who had invited ridicule a few years ago by wishing Vamana Jayanti on the occasion of Onam, this time conveyed Onam greetings on this platform, realizing that experience. However, his statements are enough to tell us that Amit Shah has not yet understood the capability and strength of the Kerala society to stick to secular moorings lines and to resist the communal forces.
In all other parts of the country, the BJP unleashes unilateral atrocities against the minority communities, including Muslims and Christians, Dalits and human rights activists, and takes advantage of the consequent divisive situation to capture votes and power. But although it dreams of replicating that in Kerala, but fails to achieve that. Recall the miserable electoral failures it suffered despite pouring money and using communal tactics and Amit Shah himself leading road shows in constituencies the party thought would be in its grip. Even the pessimists who believe that Kerala is different now and has changed a lot for the worse, cannot deny the determination of the Keralites then and now to keep communal politics out of power. This is the mindset that has been cultivated by the collective effort of many religious and secular sections, and those ranging from renaissance heroes, political and community organizations to writers and artists. This is the soil where the blood of people, including members of a temple committee, who were killed by the RSS for opposing the lethal weapons training conducted in a temple yard, has been spilled. Hate campaigns and machinations may naturally create a temporary persuasion in society, but they cannot bring about the change that Amit Shah and his team would yearn for.
Even then, that speech by Amit Shah should be seen as a warning to secular political Kerala that it is a time to be vigilant. A warning that it may go whole hog in evil direction since all the tactics to grab seats have failed. The Sangh Parivar has always used dirty tricks which no other political organization in India would fain contemplate. Recently, a former RSS worker, who claims to have been a part of its operations, has informed the court through an affidavit that RSS had organized training camps for bomb-making, to make explosions in various parts of the country so as to make gains in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. This is no surprise to those who are aware of the incident in Malappuram many years ago when an RSS worker was killed as a result of explosion of bombs being made to ignite riots during a Sri Krishna Jayanti Shobhayatra. If the political parties can pledge that they will not forsake the secular commitment that Kerala holds dear, then no Sangh Parivar machinations will work in Kerala. The only imperative is that every Keralite should determine that our life and energy are not meant to be sacrificed at the altar of communal politics, but are to be used to uphold the idea of India.