In
the Belly of the Beast
The Hindu Supremacist RSS
and BJP of India: An Insider's Account
By Partha Bannerjee
Ajanta Books International, New Delhi 1998
Pages 164 Price Rs. 195/-
For over a decade now, the left has been under a renewed frenzy of attack from its traditional enemies. In the backdrop of the worldwide collapse of 'existing socialism' and a swing away from the left, extreme right- wing hindutva forces have accused it of being 'uprooted' and 'ignorant' of Indian, or rather Hindu, traditions. This has made many marxists renounce their faith, camouflage themselves as reformed 'left- liberals' or go into hibernation. Some have even joined the hindutva bandwagon.
But while the leftists are scurrying for cover, Partha Bannerjee, author of the book under review, has performed a surreptitious somersault. A hardcore RSS man for 15 years, he has shifted his ideological convictions to marxism and decided to give an insider's account of the secretive RSS.
It must be stated at the outset that this book is neither an in- depth analysis of the RSS, nor does it seek to probe deeply into the implications of its activities. The book is more a collage of the writer's experiences in the RSS viewed through his new glasses. It is a far cry from Tapan Basu, Sumit Sarkar et al 's Khakhi Shorts and Saffron Flags, D.R. Goyal's Rashtriya Swayemsewak Sangh and Achin Vanaik's Communalism Contested, to name only a few of the many erudite and scholarly books on the RSS in particular and hindutva in general.
Many of the points raised by the author are well known to the critics of the RSS- that it is highly hierarchical, patriarchal, conservative organization based on regressive elements drawn from the brahamanical tradition. He reiterates the traditional leftist view that the RSS is a fascist organization (more recently this view has been contested even by some of those who would rather wear their heart on the left).
Banerjee points out that in the RSS list of 6 festivities, only Hindu festivals find a place. These too are those that do not have much scriptural significance, this, the writer avers is to pander to the Dalit and lower caste sections. None of the Buddhist, Jain or Sikh festivals form a part of the RSS festivities. In the RSS calendar of holidays too, not only the Muslim and Christian holidays left out, but even Independence Day (15th August) is missing.
The only Sikh holiday that finds a place is the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, which is conspicuous, because the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and undoubtedly as important if not more than that of the former, is missing.
This supports what the writer mentions elsewhere- that though the RSS claims Sikhism to be a part of Hinduism, its acceptance of Sikhism is only restricted to its militaristic aspects (as the sword arm of Hinduism). It does not accept its spiritual and social aspects. Its totality is not palatable to the RSS.
Similarly it denies any claims to originality for Buddhism and Jainism. The writer quotes from the RSS mouthpiece, Organizer: 'So far as Buddhism and Jainism are concerned they have never made any contribution to social and political thought as such. We have not inherited any arthashastras or dharamashastras from them. All we have from them are various mokshashastras pertaining to the supreme salvation of the individual soul.'
Among other accounts that the author offers are those on the daily routine in the RSS, its rituals and his experiences in the Officer's Training Camps that are annually held to groom senior functionaries to the RSS. His translation of the Ekatmata Stotra ( morning prayer of the RSS) are valuable for those unfamiliar with RSS rituals.
He also points to the RSS and hindutva presence on the internet. There are tens of sites maintained by their adherents. The left presence on the other hand is weak. The only significant site being the one maintained, almost heroically, by Biju Matthew in New York (http://www.foil.org). FOIL stands for the Forum of Indian Leftists- a loose US based group of South Asian ("desi") leftists.
The book offers a glimpse into the RSS organization as recapitulated by a former adherent. It lacks the rigor of more academic studies. Even so, one would have expected the writer to focus on contemporary problems within the RSS- for example, its failure to find new recruits. RSS membership has reportedly gone down over the years and one way it has tried to overcome this problem is by creating new front organizations like the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, to cater to the more lumpen and the more well- off (NRI) sections respectively. This reflects the deepened stratification of a formerly more homogeneous middle class that the RSS accommodated and represented.
These new organizations, while at one level, mark a continuation of the RSS ideology, at the same time also mark a departure. How these organizations relate and operate together is a moot question.
Bhupinder
bhupi@bigfoot.com
12th May 1999
