Spread of saffron

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Spread of saffron >Tue, 21 Jan 2003 11:49:36 -0800 > >Title: Spread Of

Saffron >Author: Ruben Banerjee >Publication: India Today >January 27,

2003 >Beyond the public gaze, Sangh Parivar outfits in the state are making

political hay > >The contrasting receptions rolled out for Pravin Togadia

within a span of few months narrate the story. In his earlier trips to Orissa,

the international secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had evoked

little or no fervour. His whirlwind visit last fortnight, though, was markedly

different. Near hysteria broke out and Togadia was treated like a VVIP. As

supporters of Hindutva followed him deliriously, so did a star-struck media. >

> > >The hype was not entirely misplaced. Fresh from the BJP's landslide

victory in Gujarat, Togadia has grown in stature and captured the public

imagination. But more importantly, the Hindutva wave that had been creeping up

across Orissa, discovered in Togadia's visit a cause to celebrate its new-found

confidence. > >"Hindutva has arrived," Togadia grandly proclaimed, visibly

gladdened by the adulation he received. But then, Orissa's Hindutva brigade had

not exactly been waiting for such a high-profile certificate. Far beyond the

public glare and silently driven by a committed workforce, the Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its associates already have sizeable tracts of

Orissa under their spell. > >Their success has certainly left the critics of

Hindutva shaken. "Orissa is Hindutva's next laboratory," warns CPI General

Secretary A.B. Bardhan. From the Congress to the communists, the Sangh

Parivar's progress in Orissa has come under the scanner and high-decibel

protests have been made in its condemnation. But all in vain. > >"The Parivar

is well-established in Orissa and we are now unstoppable," claims Dharmendra

Pradhan, a young Orissa legislator who is also the national secretary of the

BJP. "Orissa is much more than a Hindutva laboratory," explains Rabi Das,

editor of the Oriya daily Paryabekshyak. "The state is also a showcase of the

Sangh Parivar's secretive strengths and structures." On the surface, the BJP

has been making rapid strides in the state, increasing its presence in the

Assembly from a single seat in 1985 to 41 now. What has eluded notice is the

growth of organisations like the RSS and VHP, and the ever-widening influence

of the Parivar. As the Parivar expands and its cadres notch up goodwill on the

ground through social work, the BJP undoubtedly stands to gain. > >"Which

political party benefits does not bother us," insists Gopal Mohapatra, joint

secretary of the RSS in Orissa. "Our sole concern is the social emancipation of

Bharatiya society." The Parivar already has an elaborate empire in place in the

state to realise its goal. The RSS is at the top of the pyramid with over 2,500

shakhas and a lakh swayamsevaks dedicated to the cause of "building human

character". Below it are no less than 30 big and small organisations, the most

noteworthy of them being the VHP, BJP, ABVP, BMS, the Banabasi Kalyan Ashram,

the Utkal Bipannya Sahayata Samiti and the Hindu Jagran Samukhya. Some of the

bodies even have sub-organisations: the VHP itself has 30, giving it

unparalleled reach. Much to the BJP's delight, the Parivar is probably reaching

out to a million people every day. > >"Several factors have worked in the

Parivar's favour in Orissa," says Rita Ray, a sociologist with the Utkal

University. One is that Christian missionaries have been active in the state's

backyards, helping the RSS trigger a backlash among people. Also important has

been the near absence of casteism that has allowed the Hindu community to be

more cohesive and easier to address. >The Parivar has had most success in

taking rural Orissa under its sweep. A whole range of organisations have been

nurtured. Some like the Seva Dhanyantari Shasthya Pratisthan do social work by

running hospitals, while others like the 1,940 Satsang Kendras-where Hindu

scriptures are read-seek to rekindle religious sentiments. The Shishu Mandir

schools run by the Parivar fill a social need and groom talent. Last year, four

out of the top 10 students in the state-level high-school certificate

examination were from these institutions. > >But it isn't the students alone

who are faring well. The results have been startling for the Parivar too. "We

have been growing at a very rapid pace over the past few years," admits

Sudhangshu Mohan Patnaik, organising secretary of the state VHP. In about three

years time, the RSS has increased its members from 70,000 to one lakh. The

Bajrang Dal has extended its number of akharas from 50 to 200 while the VHP's

strength has gone up from 22,000 to 60,000 members in the same period. > >The

BJP, expectedly, hopes to ride on all this goodwill later. Its ministers in the

state cabinet may be seen to be dishonest and corrupt-many party leaders are

also known to be opportunists-but the Parivar's army of pracharaks and

volunteers ensures that the party retains a clean image in the public mind.

There is a perception that sooner or later, the BJP will edge out the BJD and

take up the anti-Congress space in Orissa. As and when that happens, the credit

for the achievement should go to the Parivar's silent army. After all, it is the

secret behind Hindutva's long, successful march. >

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