The rise of the fringe

They are organised and the opposition to them is leaderless. Who will win the war that is bound to break out?

If there is one part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is confused by what happened at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the twilight of 2019 and dawn of 2020, it is the party’s student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Torn between deep contentment at seeing the pinkos being roundly thrashed (many must have wished they’d been the ones to do it) and self-righteous indignation at supposed Left-instigated vandalism, the ABVP, at least in JNU, needs to ask itself if it is time to move over and make space for the “real” Hindus — like the Hindu Raksha Dal, a fringe group that has claimed credit for carrying out the JNU attacks.

Why only JNU? The “real” Hindus are now all over the place. Ranging from the gang that killed Gauri Lankesh; to the Hindu Yuva Vahini, dormant but by no means decommissioned; to the Sri Rama Sene, fringe Hindu groups are popping up all over the country. They are splitting but they are not dying. They’re the unicorns of Indian politics.

Anti-BJP activist and editor Gauri Lankesh was assassinated, the Special Investigations Team (SIT) probing her murder has found, by a hired hand, Parashuram Waghmare, who was recruited by one Amol Kale. At least 12 people have been named in the conspiracy that was hatched not just to kill Lankesh but also Govind Pansare, a Left-leaning thinker, and Narendra Dabholkar, the rationalist who questioned many Hindu beliefs and superstitions. The 9,000-page chargesheet says all the co-conspirators had links at one or other time with the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), the Sanatan Sanstha and the Sri Ram Sene. The HJS says it was formed in response to the demands of the situation as “due to a “secular” democracy today, the state of the society, nation and dharma is on the decline. A system of governance based on Dharma, that is, establishment of the Hindu nation, is the need of the hour as a solution to the problems of Hindus.”

Pramod Muthalik floated the Sri Rama Sene — the very same that would barge into pubs and drag out women having a drink there. He has since been acquitted of the charge. But despite that, Muthalik’s entry into many states ruled by the BJP is banned — including Goa. The Sene challenged the late Pejawar Swami Vishwesha Theertha (who died last month) to a shaastraarth (a scriptural duel) when the latter hosted an iftaar at the premises of the Krishna temple in Udupi some years ago.

The Hindu Yuva Vahini was formed on Rama Navami day in 2002 in Uttar Pradesh by Yogi Adityanath. Initially envisaged as a body of young activists, the word “Hindu” was added on the advice of Mahant Avaidyanath of Gorakhpur, then alive. Sunil Singh, a co-founder of the HYV, recalled, despite the BJP’s Kalyan Singh being in power in UP and Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the helm in Delhi, the pitiful sight of Yogi Adityanath having to beg that one of his supporters be given a seat in the Assembly elections prompted the formation of the HYV — visualised as a fringe group designed to exert pressure over the BJP and raise Adityanath’s profile in eastern UP. When Adityanath became chief minister but would not heed the HYV’s demand for a share of the power pie, Sunil Singh walked out forming his own HYV Bharat. He was imprisoned almost immediately under the National Security Act and released many months later.

In response, Adityanath formed the HYV (UP). So in Eastern UP now, there are at least two groups competing for the same fringe. Another organisation, the Yogi Sena, has been launched in Western UP with the same objective: Rousing and organising Hindu youth. While HYV says it will do nothing to embarrass the chief minister and involves itself in such blameless pursuits as delivering flood relief, what it is actually doing, no one knows. HYV acknowledges that its supporters are chafing at the bit at the anodyne activity they’re being asked to carry out and it is hard to keep them reined in.

In America, as in India, fringe group activity has seen a spurt in the last few years. “Antifa’” short for anti-fascist, turns up regularly to counter-protest far-right rallies and speaking events. The group’s mission is to fight fascism at any cost, and defend America's most disenfranchised groups. Most are either anarchists or have far left-leaning political beliefs. “Proud Boys” says it is a “a pro-Western fraternal organisation”. It has an initiation rite that includes “getting into a major fight for the cause”.

In India, it is hard to judge where it will all end. The fringe is organised. The opposition to it is leaderless, inarticulate but determined to contest and fight back. The collateral damage is the ABVP, seen as being quick to strike but afraid to wound. Somebody has to win the war that is bound to break out sooner than later. And it won’t be via the ballot box.