The Candidate: Modi’s saffron mischief

There are some things Narendra Modi cannot resist speaking about. Unfortunately, they are ones that stir up trouble. Mr Modi has again gone after what he has cleverly called the Pink Revolution, meaning the export of meat and fish. He finds this distasteful because being a vegetarian he thinks poorly of all those who are not, even though they are the majority.

He associates non-vegetarianism with Islam and any reference to cattle brings in that old Sangh rallying point: Cow slaughter. Mr Modi does not need to go the communal route in this election. The Congress is on the ropes and this is because of its record on corruption, legislation and governance. Mr Modi is justifiably the man who is reaping the benefit of this. All opinion polls say he will win, differing only very slightly on his margins. So why stir up mischief where it is neither needed nor, in my opinion, productive?

The fact is that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh view of South Asian Muslims as being either traitors (Indian Muslims) or enemies (Pakistanis and Bangladeshis) is too ingrained in Mr Modi for him to resist. For the Bharatiya Janata Party voter Pakistan is to be conflated with Muslim, and that also brings in the poor Indian Muslim, who is guilty by association.

Mr Modi also clings to the clichéd view of Muslims as polygamous and more fecund than Hindus. In one notorious reference he used the phrase “hum paanch hamare pacchhees” to riff on the “hum do hamare do” population control line of the government. For Mr Modi and other Sanghis, all Muslim males aspire to four wives and all those wives produce five children.

In every single election Mr Modi has contested, and this is the fourth, he has brought up in some or the other manner this instinctive dislike of his. He has rallied Gujaratis with attacks on “Mian Musharraf” and “Mian Ahmed Patel”. He informed Indians, most of whom did not know or care, that the Chief Election Commissioner he thought was being too tough on him, was a Christian.

He did this by referring to “James Michael Lyngdoh”, a man previously known to Indians only through his initials. Mr Modi said at a rally:

“Three AKs have emerged as the unique strength for Pakistan. One is AK-47 which has been used to cause bloodshed in Kashmir. The second is A.K. Antony, who informs Parliament that people wearing the dress of Pakistan Army beheaded our soldiers while our Army says Pakistanis had done so.” He demanded to know: “Who do you want to benefit with your statement?”

Then he went after someone he is beginning to see as a threat, Arvind Kejriwal, nicknamed AK-49 because he resigned after 49 days as chief minister in Delhi. Mr Modi said: “The map on his party’s website has shown Kashmir in Pakistan. A senior member of his party is shouting himself hoarse demanding plebiscite in Kashmir. Pakistan is dancing over their statements. These agents of Pakistan, enemy of India, you are speaking the language of Pakistan.”

Why bring Pakistan into this? It is not a major issue in the election. It is not a major trading partner for India, and in no way an obstacle or even an irritant in India’s path to growth. The unresolved problems with it are almost 70 years old and not pressing in any way.

The BJP should be careful. Its record of whipping up emotions and then not being able to control the mobs that it has fired up is not very good.
But his staying away from mischief was a relief, at least till now.