A Religious Fanatic or Politico-Relgious Strategist?

By Pushpa Iyer

Jasood Khan Pathan, claims to have studied with Narendra Modi from I to XI and that he was a close friend. At school, he sat with Modi on the same bench and basically grew up together. Pathan does not recall any conflict with his school friend and there certainly was no social tension in Vadnagar between the Muslim and Hindu communities (Kamath, M.V., Randeri, Kalindi 2009). Irrespective of Pathan’s then reported closeness to Modi, the present “anti-Muslim” image of Modi is a significant aspect of his current brand.

So, how religious is Modi? In his own words “…not religious but spiritual” (Mukopadhyay, Nilanjan 2013). Modi is known to fast twice a year, an intense one where he drinks only water for nine days. He argues that while he fasts on days of religious significance and prays and even visits temples of certain Gods and Goddess, he is not one to have blind-beliefs seeped in any religion.

His childhood forays with religion tells another story. According to one story, Modi as a young lad of 12 years dove into lake, Sharmistha, infested with crocodiles to change the flag atop a temple structure. Changing the flag was a ritual that was centered on certain auspicious days of the year.  His family also reports that Modi was religious as a child – very disciplined about what he ate (giving up on salt, chilies and oil) and interacted with many religious men (sadhus). His family worried as Modi began displaying more signs of religiosity (or spirituality). And their worries proved right when Modi, as soon as he finished school, left home for the Himalayas to become an ascetic (sanyasin).  He returned after two years with the decision to join the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – an organization that espoused Hindu superiority as its ideology.  As a propagandist (pracharak) of the RSS, Modi had to remain a bachelor and had to be the link between the banned RSS and the political party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (Kamath, M.V., Randeri, Kalindi 2009).

Modi RSSThe RSS training Modi underwent before becoming a pracharak together with his experiences of being one, definitely must have influenced if not shaped, his belief of the Hindu religion. In a very controversial interview to Reuters in July 2013, Modi declared himself to be a Hindu Nationalist because “I am a Hindu and I am a Patriot…so yes, I am a Hindu Nationalist” and thus aligning himself clearly to the Hindutva (Hindu Nationalist) ideology of the BJP which advocates for “one nation, one culture, one people, one religion”.  In the same interview he also made a statement in response to a question that he treats all people of India irrespective of their religion as citizens of India because “Religion should not be an instrument in your democratic process. That would be a danger to democracy”.

In the 2012 Gujarat assembly elections, Muslism are said to have voted for Modi, campaigned as party workers but no Muslim got a ticket to the assembly.

The author interviewed (January 2013) a senior official in the Gujarat administration who analysed Modi as a man with a single goal: He, Modi, wanted to be the Prime Minister of India. He added, “Modi is not fanatical about religion. He doesn’t really care but for the fact that everything is a strategy.  2002 violence was a strategy. Modi would be fine re-creating 2002 in order to win Prime Minister-ship”. That sends a shiver down one’s spine. Is Modi a Hindu fanatic? Or a political strategist who is a master manipulator with his tool: religion? Either way, scary! And yes, a danger to democracy!