India: Tracing the anti-national — you could be the next

One of the first attacks unleashed by the Government, was the targeting NGOs, activists and intellectuals allegedly tarnishing the image of India based on a report of the IB. All of them were together labeled as ‘anti-national’. The government at no point clarified how these organizations, institutions and people working for the enforcement of the rights of the people became ‘anti-national’ but one of the charges leveled was the alleged foreign funds received by the institutions which the government termed coloured the intent behind their acts.

by Parijata Bhardwaj

( February 21, 2016, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) ‘Anti-national’ is the word of the hour. Whether it is shouted at nauseatingly high decibel levels by politicians and news anchors or become the justification for lawlessness, it has very firmly and surely occupied centre stage in lives of a vast majority. As many have argued the term has existed for long and has universally been one of the favoured weapons in the arsenal of the State to tarnish the credibility of anyone pointing out its failings. Though, the one factor which distinguishes the record of the present government from that of its predecessors is not only its Hindutva derived definition of nationhood but also the frequency and aggression with which it terms any dissent to this idea of nationhood as anti-national.

The Anti-national list

The BJP government came into power on 16 May 2014, but the term ‘anti-national’ was a part of the parties arsenal during the election campaign itself. The campaign was rife with party members labeling people opposing Modi not only as anti-national but also demanding that they should leave the country and go to Pakistan. Thus, equating a Modi to the nation and showcasing the reactionary nature of the party. The demand of shipping dissenters to Pakistan stems from the basic ideology of the parties patron saint, the RSS which vehemently defines India as a Hindu rashtra with Muslims as the marauders, who chose to sever ‘Mother India’ and create a land for themselves-Pakistan.

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