Soft side of the Hindutva hero

Has Narendra Modi softened himself as his campaign continues to progress This week we had a statement from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate that for him, toilets were the priority over temples. “Pehle shauchalay, phir devalay” were his exact words. He even qualified himself by saying that he had said this before in Gujarat and that he believed this despite the fact that “my image is that of Hindutva.” Meaning that he thought his outlook is more progressive than is imagined by others. It was being feared, particularly in the wake of the recent riots in Uttar Pradesh, that Mr Modi might choose to emphasise his communalism to consolidate his core vote. There were reports that he would even have a rally in the disturbed areas soon after the riots broke out. But he has chosen not to do this, at least for now, and did not even comment on the episode in the way other BJP members did. It is a very fine thing if Mr Modi chooses to be deliberately inclusive in this campaign, whether or not he wins the election. The first big advantage to all of us is that we will be assured of an absence of nastiness in the election battle. This is important because when the BJP raises its core issues, there is usually violence on the ground and suffering for Indians. If no religious issues are going to be bandied about by Mr Modi between now and May, we can breathe a little easier no matter which party one supports. The second big benefit will be that some process of healing can begin in Gujarat. Even if Mr Modi says he is unlike his Hindutva image, the reality of his rule in Gujarat is a division that is visible at the level of the neighbourhood. The Hindu-Muslim divide in Gujarat is real and it is deliberate. It is the centrepiece of the BJP’s 18-year rule in that state. If Mr Modi softens himself nationally, some relief might finally accrue to his wretched state. Thirdly, it will make the election about issues that actually concern us. If there isn’t going to be much from the BJP on Hindutva then it is possible we may have additional scrutiny on policies and manifesto promises. The fourth thing is that it will make it easy for Mr Modi to pick up allies. Already in Andhra Pradesh we can sense that he has an opening with both Jagan Mohan Reddy’s party, the likely winner in the state, as well as with N. Chandrababu Naidu. In Tamil Nadu, he has always has a good equation with the likely winner, Jayalalithaa. It is potential allies like Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik and — who knows — perhaps even Nitish Kumar who will find his stressing progress before religion or Hindu nationalism attractive. The fifth thing that will help Mr Modi is that he will retain many of the urban supporters flocking to him because of his modern approach. They are not necessarily in support of his communal proclivities and may even be put off by his record on this front. But if they see that he is speaking their language in the campaign and not touching upon the things they would see as negatives, he has a good chance with them. Of course, there are also some threats associated with choosing this approach. The biggest one is that Mr Modi has built his aura around his nasty side. He is a Hindutva hero before he is anything else and this is why he has been able to eclipse giants like Lal Krishna Advani so quickly inside the party. If he chooses to de-emphasise this aspect to him or, more drastically, show it to be in remission, as he has done in his toilets versus temples statement, he stands in danger of losing their enthusiasm. The Hindutva supporter is not casual about such things and, as all those who are attracted to extreme ideology, will expect to see the buttons he likes pressed by his candidate. Then there is also the matter of unifying the various state party units. If Mr Modi runs a full-throated Hindutva campaign he can much more easily unify the BJP nationally behind a simple, clear message. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s worker body will also respond positively to such a gambit and this is something that will be on the back of Mr Modi’s mind. However, if the past month is an indication, the signs are that he is not going to pull a communal campaign like he has done all these years in Gujarat. That is excellent news for all of us. Aakar Patel is a writer and columnist