- Kavita Krishnan
W HEN BANGARU LAXMAN was caught taking bribes by Tehelka, the RSS was quick to call him a “failed swayamsevak” and he was dumped by the BJP. So, who is a successful swayamsevak? Not Bangaru, but Dilip Singh Judeo, who can whip up casteism and communalism even after being tainted by the “hawala” scams and mining bribes! Although Judeo has had to resign, the RSS and the BJP (Bangaru-Judeo Party, as the new name goes) have made it clear that they will continue to propagate “Raja” Judeo as an anti-conversion hero of tribal Chattisgarh, a victim of a “conspiracy” by Christian missionaries!
Judeo too was quick to change his tune: from defensive denial to offensive communalism. On the day of the expose, Judeo said, “It is totally wrong that I have been given money.” But the next day, on NDTV 24x7, Judeo began to justify having taken the money: “you need an army to stop conversions and you need provisions for that army. There might be obstacles and the time is limited. Suppose someone gives these provisions, this is misunderstood… Who is going to foot the bill? … When Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh were fighting, then Birla used to go to Mahatma Gandhi … And from where he used to bring? …” (Indian Express, 18 November)
Let us suppose, for a minute, that Judeo did not take the money for his private use, but to fund the RSS’ “anti-conversion army.” This means that the RSS-BJP is openly admitting that its violently communal “armies” – the kind that burnt alive Australian missionary Graham Staines – are funded by black money from multinationals like the Australian mining company!
It is well-known that tribals and dalits convert in order to seek freedom from the oppressive caste hierarchy. The Sangh Parivar uses its communal “armies” to terrorise tribals and dalits into embracing Hindutwa. Who are the real threat to India’s freedom? Christian missionaries like Staines, and his two little sons? Or the multinationals like the Australian mining company which wants to have control over our precious national resources and assets? Who are the real anti-nationals? Tribals who convert to Christianity, dalits who convert to Buddhism and Muslims? Or the RSS which takes crores of foreign funding for its communal hate campaign to divide India? And the BJP of Judeos which is ‘eagerly trying to sell out India’s key sectors – from defence to power to mining – to the multinationals?
In his bid to justify the bribe he took, Judeo went to the extent of comparing his bribe to contributions which Birla gave Gandhi, and the RSS’ anti-conversion campaign to India’s freedom movement! Azad and Bhagat Singh gave up their lives fighting British imperialism. Gandhiji had to sacrifice his life for his opposition to communalism. The corrupt, communal Judeo and his Sangh-BJP protectors, who are betraying our country to imperialists and dividing our nation by communal violence, should not dare to compare themselves with those freedom fighters.