Daily Times

The message from Norway’s mass killer to the ‘Hindu nationalists’ of India has already been reported. A couple of points made by Anders Behring Breivik in his manifesto, 2083: a European declaration of independence, however, deserve particular note.

If accepted and acted upon, the twin recommendations from the Nordic admirer of a South Asian ultra-nationalism will transform the tactics and strategy of the ‘parivar’, India’s far-right ‘family’, beyond recognition.

In the first place, they will put an end to the parivar’s most preferred way of periodically making its main point and make its presence felt. Breivik, actually, counsels it to give up meticulously and mercilessly organised minority-bashing, misleadingly called “communal riots” in the media and in common parlance.

The man behind the massacre of July 23 does have many words of praise for the majoritarian vendors of violence. The manifesto says that the parivar outfits “do not tolerate the current injustice (against the religious majority) and often riot and attack Muslims when things get out of control”. But he adds: “This behaviour is nonetheless counterproductive.”

Suggesting a better alternative to the bloody-minded ‘nationalists’, he says: “Instead of attacking the Muslims, they should target the category A and B traitors in India (so classified according to their socio-political profile and influence) and consolidate military cells and actively seek the overthrow of the cultural Marxist government.” Members of his audience, who have read the manifesto, cannot agree more.

Are they not already talking of the ‘appeasement’ of India’s largest minority as an even greater crime than its alleged ‘extra-territorial loyalty’? Whenever anyone raises any issue of anti-minority violence, do they not reply with a prompt condemnation of ‘vote bank politics’? They should have no problem treating non-minority ‘traitors’ as the nation’s main threat.

Nor should India’s ‘cultural nationalists’ have any trouble with the concept of cultural Marxist government. The ideology of the parivar, especially its patriarch, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was spelt out clearly by Guru Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, who headed the organisation till 1973. His book, A Bunch of Thoughts, ends with a chapter titled ‘Internal threats’. The three threats listed and treated at some length are: Muslims, Christians and Communists.

Of the last, the Guru says: “The threat of communism has become real from another quarter in our country. And that is by the present policy of our government who have declared ‘socialism’ (same in content as communism and differing only in the method of achievement) as their goal.” The perspective of the parivar’s hardcore remains the same, regardless of any lip service to ‘socialism’ by any leader of the political font of the parivar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The second point made in the manifesto about the future of an international fascist alliance can be far-reaching in its import. The alliance in arms, proposed by Breivik, will give India’s far-right militants a cross-border connection, considered a monopoly of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) and other Muslim groups alone.

The blueprint for Breivik’s counter-revolution envisages military support — from extreme-right bands in eight European countries, to believe him — “to the nationalists in the Indian civil war and in the deportation of all Muslims from India”. The detailed plan includes decorations for distinguished service in this multinational war against multiculturalism. The manifesto talks of a “Liberation of India Service Medal” to be awarded for “assisting Indian nationalist forces to drive out Islam from Indian territory”. If Breivik and his merry mono-culturists have their way, a future Narendra Modi will not have to wage so lone a battle for the same glorious cause as he did in blood-splattered Gujarat nine years ago.

The messiah and his manifesto have addressed the parivar in unmistakably direct terms. No reaction of any kind, however, has emanated from any member of the ‘family’. Even the BJP, with the appearances of a parliamentary party to keep, has not bothered to reject the message from Breivik. Is the silence eloquent? One hopes not.

The writer is a journalist based in Chennai, India. A peace activist, he is also the author of a sheaf of poems titled At Gunpoint