Dr Selva Rathinam, SJ
President, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune

The country has elected BJP, especially in the Hindu heartland. What does it mean for the nation?
Yeah, the country accepted the BJP and they have successfully divided Hindus and non-Hindus. The people have not voted for the government’s performance; they voted for the interests of the communal majority. Therefore, naturally the people who belong to the other side, the non-Hindu minority, feel threatened. For example, Pratap Sarangi, a newly elected MP from Odisha, who has been inducted as a union minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had led the RSS linked Bajrang Dal in Odisha when the Australian Missionary Graham Staines was burnt alive along with his two children, Phillip and Timothy by a murderous mob in Manoharpur of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district in 1999. Similarly, Pragya Thakur, though accused in Malegaon blast case of 2008, won the election. See the polarization and how it threatens minorities.

Do you think that Hindus in general believe in Hindutva? Would it be right to say that Hinduism has almost got identified with Hindutva?
No, it is not. The common people do not even understand the difference between Hinduism and Hindutva. Most of them are practising Hinduism as a way of life. But it is a few politicians that have successfully manipulated this kind of ideas. They are dividing Hindus and non-Hindus. But the ideology behind Hindutva is not supported or shared by the common people.

Modi is now an accepted leader of India. How do you see him as a politician and as a statesman?
I think he is a very successful politician, because, as a politician, he gets a majority. People of the majority community is made to believe that they should join his party. Therefore, as a politician, he is identified with the party, not with the people as such. He is a successful politician who managed to get a massive political victory. As a statesman, I don’t think Modi has yet proved himself. He went all around the country, but, if he were a statesman, he should have payed attention to all Indians. But he seems to be more loyal to the party and Hindutva ideology. They are trying to divide the people rather than unite them. These are all incompatible with statesmanship.

Now that the BJP has an absolute majority, do you think they will execute their real agenda of Hindutva even by changing the Constitution of India?
Yeah, I have that apprehension. Because, even when they did not have a majority, they were trying to do it. Now they have succeeded in convincing the majority of people. They divided them into Hindus and non-Hindus, and now they will try their best to introduce Hindutva ideology. Therefore, I feel they will implement their special agenda with ease.

Subramanian Swamy has warned the BJP not to resort to dictatorship. What is the implication of such a warning from an insider?
We are now in a situation when neo-liberalism and fascism have joined hands for exploitative reasons. These ideals include the veneration of war, anti-intellectualism, dehumanization, a populist celebration of ultra-nationalism and racial purity and lies. The one-sided imposition of certain ideologies will definitely cause great danger to the country. The people will wake up at the right time,because, the people in general, including Hindus, have not really fallen for the Hindutva ideology as such. They were passionately involved in it, but that passion was a created one. Hindus and non-Hindus have not brought the narrow ideological Hindutva into their life. Therefore, when the government introduces certain policies that disturb the peace, the people will definitely react. People of goodwill of all communities will rise in protest when required. The BJP will try their best to introduce Hindutva, but they will not succeed. If they try to do it, not only the minorities but also the Hindus will oppose it. It is an ideology that will continue to divide the people. I don’t think it will be accepted widely.

How should the minorities, especially the Christians, react to it?
We are now in a precarious situation. First of all, we have no choice; we have to accept the government that is elected. The BJP is the ruling party now and there is no compromise on that. At the same time, we need to continue with our good work. We should expect more queries from the government. So we need to organize ourselves. I think we need to be more conscious of and literate about our minority rights in a secular country. We need to be conscientized more. Our faith should not remain merely as a pietistic approach. I fear more and more Christians will be attacked in various ways. If necessary, we should also move legally.