Building a statue of unity can’t conceal divisive
ideology
Of late we are witnessing an unsavoury debate on the
legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a Congressman to the core who stoutly
opposed the divisive ideology of RSS. In a sense, his attitude reflected the
core values of a secular India.
Government of India
banned RSS on February 4, 1948. The ban was imposed “to root out the forces of
hate and violence that are at work in our country and imperil the freedom of
the nation and darken her fair name”. It went on to say that individual members
of RSS indulged in “acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity and
murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. They have been found
circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to
collect firearms, to create disaffection against the government.” Sardar Patel
was then the home minister.
Despite the ban
RSS continued its anti-national activities. This is reflected in Patel’s letter
written to M S Golwalkar on September 18, 1948, when he lamented that the
communal poison of speeches made by votaries of RSS resulted in the country
having to “suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji”. In his
letter of February 27, 1948, Patel talked of how Gandhiji’s assassination was
welcomed by RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha which were strongly opposed to his way
of thinking.
It is
unfortunate that BJP seeks to rewrite history, despite the above, by suggesting
that Patel had invited RSS to join Congress. Patel was an Indian first and a
Congressman thereafter. What is unfortunate is that 66 years thereafter, a
mindset similar to that of the RSS, if not more visceral, is seeking to embrace
a secular Patel. That too, by not just misreading history but by emphasising
Patel’s credentials as a Gujarati.
It is ironic
that the man who seeks to build the statue of unity is perhaps the most
divisive force in India. He seeks to compare this with the Statue of Liberty, the
magnificence of which cannot be missed at Liberty Island. Perhaps he does not
know that the spirit of liberty is not associated with any individual but
depicts a woman holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left,
upon which is engraved ‘July 4, 1776’, the adoption date of the Declaration of
Independence. This statue was gifted by France to the US at the end of the
American Civil War, celebrating that nation’s success in building a viable
democracy.
Liberty, in the
words of Learned Hand, resides in the hearts of men and women. So does the
spirit of unity. If that is to be celebrated, its symbol must be ordinary men
and women in whose hearts the commitment to unity resides. The spirit of unity
cannot be symbolised with reference to one individual. It can be kept alive and
survive only if each one of us considers it to be an essential part of our
being. The unity of India is that emotive element within us that gives
sustenance to our nationhood without reference to race, religion, creed, caste
or colour.
Those who seek
to build the so-called Statue of Unity are in fact doing a great disservice to
the nation. They seek to gain political mileage out of crass symbolism. They
wish to induce the electorate to think and believe that BJP stands for the
unity of India by embracing the legacy of Sardar Patel. What is forgotten is
that thousands of men and women gave up their lives to see India united and
free.
This crude
attempt on the part of a man who seeks to be prime minister, in fact exposes
him. He is ignorant of the fact that Sardar Patel was a hardcore opponent of
RSS, which is wedded to an ideology far removed from that of Sardar Patel. His
sense of history leaves much to be desired. Also he cannot represent the spirit
of unity after presiding over a state which has had a divisive administrative
agenda.
Apart from
this, there are grave issues that need to be addressed. The Tadvi Samaj living
around the Sadhu Tekri area does not want construction of the statue at the
cost of demolishing existing sites. Villagers from Limbdi and other areas have
written to forest minister Mangubhai Patel opposing the proposal to construct
the 182-metre statue in Sadhu Tekri. A person who has done nothing for
development of these underdeveloped villages cannot erect a symbol of unity
while destroying their livelihoods.
The Kevadia
Area Development Authority (KADA) sought the consent of village panchayats of
54 villages for constructing the statue. In fact, 29 of these villages fall
under the protected forest area. KADA threatened that in the event villagers do
not respond to the request for consent, it would be assumed that they have no
opposition to build the statue. Protesting tribals shouted that they would give
their life but not their land, which is their only source of livelihood.
As we seek to
build this great nation, we need to ensure that living examples of unity come
to the forefront of our national life, not those who have destroyed peace and
tranquillity in their own state. Let them not seek to build their careers on a
concept of unity which endangers the very idea of India.
( Shri
Kapil Sibal : The writer is a Congress leader and Union minister of law, communications & IT )
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