Bharat Ratna: By honouring Malaviya, BJP is correcting a historical wrong

But for a few acerbic rangers of Indian pseudo-secularism, the country has largely appreciated the belated recognition of Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya by bestowing Bharat Ratna, 69 years after his death. It is debatable whether Bharat Ratna should be awarded posthumously. It is also debatable whether there has to be a time limit for posthumous conferring of the country’s highest civilian award.

Freedom fighter Gopinath Bordoloi was awarded the Bharat Ratna 49 years after his death. In that sense, the Bharat Ratna to Mahamana has set a new record.

The question, however, is why he had to wait for so long to get this official recognition. A similar fate awaited Sardar Patel, Bhimrao Ambedkar and Maulana Azad. Which means the Congress, which ruled the country for almost 55 years after independence, chose the awardees purely on ideological considerations, particularly conforming entirely to the so-called Nehruvian world view.

Nothing wrong with that. Every regime in a democracy has a right to choose its icons. But the travesty of the Congress brand of secularism is that it has a tunnel vision. It does not inherit its own historic legacy. Tradition, it is said, is the living ideas of the dead. For the Congress rulers it was only a particular strand of Congress tradition that was of some relevance. And it moulded the establishment and its court historians in that special fashion.

Or else, how does it justify the neglect of Sardar Patel, Ambedkar or Malaviya who had to be retrieved and restored by non-Congress governments when they came to power? This neglect was absolute and wilful. The Congress in general, and especially under Sonia Gandhi in the last ten years, consciously disinherited itself of the great tradition of Indian national movement. It is that rich and illustrious tradition that the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to revive and bring to the mainstream. The national movement was not a partisan or family affair. It cut across ideological barriers and it rooted itself in the great nationalist cultural and civilisational aspirations of the new India. Its approach was broad, generous and inclusive. It did not compartmentalise the national mission in narrow, ideological confines.

But that tradition is alien to the Congress of today. So they tried to push to oblivion the contributions of Tilak, Netaji, Lajpat Rai, Malaviya, Patel, Aurobindo, Savarkar - the list is really long. All these leaders fought the British, tried to revive the spirit of nationalism and in their own ways influenced the course of history.

Malaviya was described as large hearted (mahamana) by Rabindranath Tagore, after he founded the Banaras Hindu University in 1916, for its unique vision of inclusiveness and uplift of the downtrodden. Malaviya was a devout Hindu. He opposed cow slaughter. He was opposed to conversion of Hindus by missionaries. He strongly advocated the entry of all Hindus into temples and forcefully condemned caste discrimination and untouchability. He was associated with many Hindu organisations including the Sanatan Dharma Sabha and the RSS. In fact, he extended all help to the RSS to spread its wings in the campus and in UP. He was an early prophet of Hindu Renaissance.

Mahamana was the Congress president on four occasions. He was the president of the Hindu Mahasabha as many times. He was one of its founders. For many decades since its inception in 1916, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Congress worked in close coordination. There were many leaders with dual membership. That did not stand in their way of espousing religious harmony and secular values.

After independence, the Congress eschewed this tradition. The party slowly became a family preserve. This was reflected in the awarding of Bharat Ratna and all other national titles. A glorious side of the freedom movement was entirely suppressed.

As a nationalist movement it was natural for the BJP revive and reclaim this legacy. Narendra Modi launched his Varanasi campaign by garlanding the statue of Madan Mohan Malaviya. He invoked this vivacious cultural tradition of the freedom movement. To revive the spirit of rebuilding the nation, the sacrifices of these towering personalities have to be remembered. By bestowing the Bharat Ratna on Mahamana, Modi has corrected a vital historical wrong. In the process he has also opened a chapter from our forgotten past to redefine the political discourse of India. The BJP is positioning itself as the true champion of Indian nationalism.