Don't believe the truth: Modi is the first 'Hindu ruler' of India in 800 years

Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes on November 30 over CPM MP Mohd Salim's controversial remark attributing to home minister Rajnath Singh that India had the "first Hindu ruler after 800 years" when Narendra Modi came to power as head of a BJP government in May 2014. Singh vehemently protested and denied having ever made that statement. While the home minister challenged Salim to prove his allegation made during the debate on "rising intolerance" in the country, the CPM MP quoted a report from Outlook magazine and asked him to send a notice to the writer.

Whether or not Singh ever made the comment, what the country has been witnessing in the last 18 months certainly indicates that Modi indeed is the first Hindu prime minister the country. In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi focused on developmental agenda. He did not even once rake up any polarising or communal issue. This paid dividends as the BJP came to power winning 282 seats, ten more than the magic figure.

But the narrative of the nation has changed ever since Modi was sworn in as prime minister. In the last one year, the nation's discourse has revolved around communal issues, or more precisely Hindu-Muslim topics. Polarising issues such as beef ban and cow slaughter have dominated all other discussions. Debates and discussions on more pressing issues like economy, health, education and infrastructure development seem to have taken a backseat. Even the international media is highlighting the "intolerance debate" which has taken precedence over other matters.

Who is to blame for such a pass? Emboldened by BJP's ascension to power with Modi at its helm, the party functionaries, RSS and VHP leaders and fringe elements have been raking up and fanning communal issues - be it "love jihad" or "ghar wapsi", or making irresponsible and controversial statements.

The BJP was in power for six years from 1998 to 2004 also and a former RSS pracharak Atal Bihari Vajpayee, just like Modi, was the PM. But such a communal atmosphere had not engulfed the nation then. So, is it because of Modi's past? Over the years, Modi has been painstakingly trying to build an image of a developmental man. He tried to hard-sell "Gujarat model of development" in the run up to the last general elections.

For instance, one would remember how during his address to the students of Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in the capital, he spoke of a half empty glass being full - half with water and half with air. In September 2013, while speaking in a BJP rally in the capital, he, for the first time, had said that "India first" was the only religion and Constitution was the only "holy book" for him. During the "Hunkaar Rally" in Patna in October 2013, amidst bomb blasts at the venue of Gandhi Maidan, Modi had asked Hindus and Muslims not to fight each other but to fight poverty together.

So, what changed after May 26, 2014, when Modi became the PM?

While the BJP functionaries and the fringe elements indulged in frequent rabble-rousing, Modi either did not rein them in or was too late in condemning any remark or incident. For instance, it took him ten long days to break silence, that too not directly, over Dadri lynching. Except for publicly condemning Union minister of state for food processing industries, Sadhvi Niranjan, for her "Raamzaade" versus "haraamzaade" remark, Modi has not been heard giving a piece of his mind to any of his ministerial colleague or party leader who have contributed in vitiating the atmosphere.

Besides this, Modi's past has stuck to him like a shadow. The PM may be making conscious and concerted efforts to have his past left behind, but the so-called secular-liberal brigade seeks to keep his alleged linkage to the 2002 Gujarat riots alive. Law and order is a state subject. The respective state governments should be held responsible for any communal incident, like the Samajwadi Party government for the Dadri lynching incident and Congress government for rationalist MM Kalburgi's murder in Dharwad; or any controversial remark. Despite this, Modi and the BJP government at the Centre are directly held responsible for such incidents.

The spate of "award wapsi" by scientists, writers, historians and Bollywood personalities over the alleged "rising intolerance" also pointed the accusing finger at Modi and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. It is alleged that the "award wapsi" was a conspiracy to defame Modi before the Bihar Assembly elections because it abruptly stopped after the Bihar Assembly elections got over. However, the damage to Modi had been done.

The "first Hindu ruler in 800 years" was made by VHP leader Ashok Singhal in November 2014. Modi's emphasis only on developmental issues has been missing. It was only during his reply to the debate on Constitution on November 27 that he showed sparks of his emphasis on societal harmony. Otherwise, he is seen to be looking the other way while the rogue "Hindutva" elements have a field day. Though the country has seen either Hindu or Sikh as prime minister, the atmosphere in the country does go on to prove that Modi is indeed the first Hindu to occupy the top post. And it seems the discourse is here to stay in the foreseeable future.