‘Targeted attacks are a result of an emerging politics of perceived insecurity’

Ever since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India, he has been targeted and vilified, more recently, his opponents got another chance to pounce upon him citing incidents of communal violence in some parts of India. Though Hindu community was a target in all these reportedly orchestrated incidences, the opposite picture was presented by a left or left-liberal section of academicians.
Life & More has been speaking to senior academicians over this issue. As a third part of series, our contributor Satyendra Bhardwaj caught up with Dr Gopa Nayak, academician, author and creative writer. She is Director – ELC at the OP Jindal Global University. Excerpts:

How do you view the targeted attacks by the communal members of the Muslim Community on Hindu Community’s processions in various parts of India?
These targeted attacks are a result of an emerging politics of perceived insecurity, hyper competitiveness and conflict. It shows a rise of a neo-intolerance of the largest minority community in India of today. Fielded that it is, by growing hard liner and semi-educated leadership among them, ranging from Pasmanda Muslims, illegal immigrant Muslims of Bangladesh and Burmese Rohingyas combine, their passion is visibly ignited by the patronisation and legitimisation by the local party, Left and Centrist political parties, foreign funding intended to break India, and a powerful lobby of left journalists and academicians.
It seems, post Article 370 withdrawal, breaking India forces have spilled out of Kashmir and are manifesting in other parts with an altered desperation. The recent rise in violence against Hindu procession is a sign of that simmering intolerance against Hindu customs and practices. War cries against Kafirs and Gazwayee Hind is getting louder. Stone pelting and spitting venom against Hindus and their cultural symbols has become recurrent. Well-funded by dubious foreign sources, PFI and its varied avatars, opportunities are identified – CAA agitation, pro-Hizab agitation, Ram Navami communal violence – and intolerance is expressed through stone-pelting incidents, rooted as it is deeply in a cultural psyche of stoning kafirs and their cultural symbols to death.
The Jehangir Puri attackers have the patronage of the local party in power. Reports are also appearing about Burmese Rohangiyas joining hands with the Bangladeshi illegal immigrants in the area to disrupt peace. Unlike the native Muslims these people do not have a symbiotic relationship with the Hindus and hence feel no connection to Hindu festivals.

While the Left and Left-liberal ‘intelligentsia’ is portraying Muslim community as victim, the reality is people from Hindu community are moving out of Muslim-dominated areas…
The simple reason is that there is a dearth of people to promote the cause of the suffering Hindus. For the first time a bold narrative on the suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits (The Kashmir Files) has highlighted the hypocrisy of the Left and the Left-liberals. The film removed the sheath covering horrific and blood-chilling stories of Kashmiri Hindus.
The so-called Left and Left-liberal intelligentsia have been the traditional supporters of the Muslim community. They profess egalitarian values and human rights to appear politically ‘cool’.
As a religious group, Muslims had affiliations in foreign countries and the perception was that the credibility of India as a nation depended on how Muslims are treated. At least this was the narrative of fear that was circulated by the Left and Left-Liberal intelligentsia in the ruling class. They, backed by privilege of power and education, blindly aped foreign traditions and developed a distaste for the native traditions of Hindus. Already divided within, the Mandal politics made situation more complicated and the Hindus got majorly alienated. Thus, when the community is attacked or is in distress, the member did not support one another. Left to themselves they took the route of flight rather than fight, whenever they encountered mass violence.

Why do you think a section of academicians is trying to portray a communally-violent image of India through their writings/interviews?
It is not very difficult to decipher their agenda. Those who run Media groups, especially English, have pronounced Left or modestly-diluted liberal Left leanings. Under the garb of holding power to account, they spare no opportunity to disgrace PM Modi and the country.
Recently I came across a tweet by a famous tennis player who has retweeted an image and questioned the Prime Minister. I was wondering how this European born American tennis player is concerned about India. To top it up, she did not have the decency to address the PM properly, using only ‘Modi’. Perhaps she is not aware that ‘Modi’ is a very common surname in India or maybe she just did what she did to make her patrons happy.
The above example also shows that anyone and everyone is approached to make a statement against the elected Indian PM. It is time we Indians understood this – it is the image of India and of our own image as Indians that we are damaging through these activities. A country exists through her leaders and the ongoing war has made this more evident than ever. You are, as long as your country is.
India’s close ties with Arab countries has surprised many and our neighbouring country is particularly uncomfortable with it. It thinks that the world revolves around religion and have this parochial and outmoded perception that there can be friendship only if religion is shared.