Why does the BJP feel obliged to lie, lie, and lie again till it loses all credibility?

If you read or listen to the things that BJP loyalists and supporters are saying or writing in conversations and on

the Internet, then it is clear that there is a consensus within the Sangh Parivar on the Ayodhya issue.

 

   Broadly, the consensus goes something like this: a temple existed at one of the holiest sites in Hinduism – the spot where Lord Ram was born. Muslim invaders destroyed that temple and built a mosque over it. That mosque is a symbol of Hindu humiliation. In the 20th century, because of a complex legal dispute, the mosque ceased to function, anyway. Namaz was not said there any longer. So, when Hindus asked Muslims to hand it over so that a historic wrong could be corrected, the Muslim community should have cooperated. Instead, the Muslims, aided by the pseudo-secular Congress, refused to cooperate. So, they had only themselves to blame when angry Hindu kar sevaks tore the mosque down. All that remains now is for a temple to be constructed on that spot.

 

   As you may have guessed, this is not a version of history that I happen to share. But let’s assume, for the purposes of argument, that it is an accurate representation of facts and events as the Parivar’s supporters claim it is.

 

   So, here’s my question: surely the Parivar should be lauding the fellows who demolished this symbol of Hindu humiliation? And yet, the BJP has tied itself up in so many knots over its attitude to the demolition that with each new fact that emerges, the party’s hypocrisy stands exposed.

 

   Let’s take the first claim repeatedly made by BJP leaders. They say that the demolition was spontaneous. This is demonstrably untrue. You cannot demolish a stone structure with your bare hands. Nor can you then level the ground and construct a makeshift mandir on the spot. Obviously, some kar sevaks had arrived at the site prepared to demolish the Babri Masjid. They had the tools, the training, and the planning.

 

   There is enough evidence in the form of video clips and eye-witness accounts to document this.

 

   So, why does the BJP feel obliged to lie, lie, and lie again till it loses all credibility?

 

   Why does it not simply say what we all know to be true: a section of kar sevaks, angered by secular intransigence, decided to do what they saw as Ram’s work? Its supporters would have no problem with this position. And the rest of us don’t believe the party’s denials anyway.

 

   Then, there is the whole issue of whether the demolition was a good thing or not. Clearly, Sangh Parivar loyalists believe that it was long overdue and shed no tears over the destruction of the Babri Masjid. But the BJP has constructed a position of such astonishing complexity on the issue that it is almost like a house of cards – and all too often, one card slips and the whole edifice comes crashing down.

 

   Take L.K. Advani’s own reaction. His position is that he was upset by the demolition and that it was the saddest day of his life.

 

   But why was he sad? In an article he wrote for The Telegraph, a few months after the demolition, he suggested that he was not that devastated by the destruction but that he regretted the loss to the BJP’s reputation for discipline. Pramod Mahajan, who was present in Ayodhya, told me that Advani had later said, “They have destroyed my movement.” This is fair enough. With no Babri Masjid standing, there could hardly be a movement built around it.

 

"So, enough about secular hypocrisy and the Babri Masjid. It’s time to talk about the demolition and the BJP’s own hypocrisy."

   In recent years, however, the BJP has moved away from those limited regrets and pretended that all of its leaders shared in the secular outrage over the demolition. Advani’s ‘saddest day’ remark has been re-interpreted to suggest that the party was genuinely shocked and deeply horrified by the events of December 6.

 

   I have two problems with this position. First of all, it is a lie. The BJP was not devastated. Its supporters distributed sweets and many leaders were overjoyed. The late Rajmata of Gwalior actually berated journalists at a press conference when they claimed that they had been assaulted by kar sevaks in Ayodhya. To this day, I do not know a single BJP leader of that era who regards the demolition as a tragedy in anything other than tactical terms – when they are speaking off the record, that is.

 

   And the truth has a way of breaking through the lies. The testimony of Anju Gupta, a highly regarded police officer, who was present at Ayodhya destroys all of Advani’s claims. According to Gupta, BJP leaders provoked the kar sevaks with their speeches. When the Masjid was being demolished, the kar sevaks were given instructions on how to organise the destruction on the PA system. BJP leaders were overjoyed, hugged each other and distributed sweets.

 

   The BJP has tried to demolish Gupta’s claims but this will not be easy. Her record as a police officer is exemplary and speaks for her credibility.

 

   My objection to the BJP’s lies is not just that the party is lowering itself by telling obvious falsehoods which are easily exposed but that it gains nothing by telling such fibs. You could argue that Advani had prime ministerial ambitions (ah, those were the days...) and therefore wanted to portray himself as an upholder of law and order and not a sponsor of religious vandals, but what about the rest?

 

   Would it hurt Uma Bharti if she finally told the truth? Would we think any less of her (to the extent that such a thing is possible) if she owned up to what photographs already document: her joy at the demolition?

 

   The same goes for the rest of them. Why don’t they have the guts to stand up and tell us what we already know? They could easily say that they believed the masjid was a symbol of Hindu humiliation and were glad that it finally came down. It would make no difference to those of us who think of them as a bunch of loonies anyway. And it would please their own supporters who were delighted by the demolition and still regard it as a great day for Hindu activists.

 

   Enough has been written about the Babri Masjid from a secular standpoint. But let’s look at it today from the Sangh Parivar’s. If the Parivar believes that the masjid deserved to be demolished then why is it so frightened of saying so openly?

 

   I still believe that Advani had no idea that the kar sevaks were going to bring the masjid down. But I do not believe that either he or his party cohorts were at all sorry to see it go other than for strategic reasons. For Advani to admit this openly would make no difference to the image we have of him. And it would thrill his core constituency.

 

   So, enough about secular hypocrisy and the Babri Masjid. It’s time to talk about the demolition and the BJP’s own hypocrisy.