BJP spokespersons never tire of mentioning the ‘toolkit conspiracy’ against India and its present government. There have always been anti-India forces since independence that have tried to prevent the country achieving its potential, particularly as a global political force. During the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, India’s attempts at promoting non-alignment caused long-term resentment among those who could not tolerate it taking an independent line. The attempts to intimidate India resulted only in pushing it into the Soviet Camp. The relations developed with Moscow in that era have continued into the present day.
While these forces had ideological collaborators willing to do their dirty work, such as China and the Indian Maoists and Naxalites, others were motivated by the desire to save the people’s souls. But, above all, many organisations were willing to sell their own souls for money. There is no doubt that, while some of the NGOs, Trusts and Foundations actually believed they were helping transform India in various ways, many cynically exploited the situation to line their own pockets. India is still to counter this money power effectively enough, be it through legislation, investigation, or similar use of agencies abroad.
In the present, however, matters have got even worse as the internet and social media have made it easier for ‘influencers’ and algorithms to manipulate the Indian psyche. Fissures of various kinds in Indian society are being deliberately widened on the basis of race, caste and religion through subtle manipulation of information and history. Unless the nationalist forces that BJP claims to lead understand the sophisticated techniques being used, they will be outmaneuvered in areas that matter.
It is possible in the current scenario to use majoritarian support on the streets to intimidate opponents. What happens, however, when these very supporters are conned into supporting movements that may seem attractively ‘revolutionary’ and in people’s interest, but are actually anarchic and anti-national in nature? At many places and in various ways, a new coalition is forming between the old collaborators and the new initiates. For instance, the ‘leaked’ paper in the UKSSSC exam has already found mention in the Bihar election scenario.
The main objective is not just regime change, it is to damage India’s growing power in the economic, political and social spheres. Democratic transfer of power is legitimate and desirable if the people so wish, but if the processes of democracy themselves are damaged, as is being sought to be done at present, that would be a totally unacceptable outcome. Awareness of these facts is necessary in the current scenario.
