By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
There are three friends of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narender Modi. They are Tilak (Brahmins), Taraju (Banya) and Talwar (RSS). All the three are backing the RSS Prcharck to the hilt in the general election 2014.
It remains to be seen how rest of the nation may respond to the hype and hoopla and the media blitzkrieg build by these three forces in vote Modi campaign.
Will the aspiration of the common man may get steamrolled by the Modi juggernaut or will it weather the storm is a story for another day? Right now it’s time to tell the story of Narender Modi and his three friends.
In 1984 the Dalit leader Kanshi Ram who founded the BSP coined the slogan “Tilak, Taraju aur Talwar, inko maro joote char.” This was to awaken the dalits in India. His three montages were the euphemism of the exploitative symbols in the country.
The Tilak represented the Brahmin caste, the head, the Taraju, the Baniya caste or the stomach and the Talwar the Rajputs caste, arms with sword i.e force.
These are actually symbolic groups and not the actual caste groups as some may think. What the Dait leader meant by them were the exploitative characteristics that are hiden behind these symbols.
The Tialk, according the dalit leader meant all those who are cunning foxes, all time scheming to remain near power. This class never sits on the actual hot seat of power but prefers to remote control it no matter who may be the figurehead.
The Taraju, is the class that worship money and whose sole motive is to make profit. They align with the political forces that they think can help them increase their wealth and resources.
The third category is Talwar that believes in force and uses the strong arm tactics to achieve the political power.
It appears that all these three forces have combined together in support of Narender Modi in the run up to the general election 2014.
The story of Narender Modi and his three Friends is a story of ‘Tilak, Taraju aur Talwar’ that is turning the wheels of ‘vote Modi’ juggernaut.
Just to digress from the Kanshiram’s paradigm and fit his montage into the 2014 general elections, in this context the Talwar means the Rastriya Sevak Sangh (RSS). The cultural organization that aspires to make India as a Hindu Rashtra, thrives on the idea of “We Vs Them.”
This time the RSS is out in the open to test the electoral waters keeping Narender Modi as its popular face. RSS has a captive vote of 5 to 6 percent that can swell in numbers in such favorable times.
The neckerwals are actually the foot soldiers of the vote Modi campaign. As part of the organization’s discipline, all the Nathuram Godses have to be present at their Parcharak meetings. So one shouldn’t be surprised at the crowd formation in the Modi’s public meetings, they are overwhelmingly the RSS cadre.
What remains to be seen is the response of the general voters to Modi’s hype built the RSS cadre. Whether they will vote as part of the herd mentality that has camouflaged them right now or they will respond differently to their alibi?
The second friend of Narender Modi is the ‘Taraju’, or the Baniyas. They comprise of the shopkeepers, traders, retailers and other such business class and have an urban base. It is the most influential friend of Narender Modi and many among them are RSS sympathizer. They have opened their coffers of money for the vote Modi campaign. They belong to the same community as that of Modi. They are in the game of making the first Baniya Prime Minister of India.
This class knows that their investment will be returned with huge profit if Modi becomes the Prime Minister. It is the money power of this Taraju class that is making most of the sound in the run up to the general elections 2014.
Will the common voters will get lured to the tricks of the Taraju class or will they raise above their bait is something to be seen when they go out to press the EVMs.
The third friend of Modi is Tilak or the cunning foxes. In popular gossip it is said that if you see a Brahmin and a snake, kill the former first, as it is more dangerous than the snake. No matter who is the ruler, this class has controlled the strings of political power since time immemorial in this country.
Even though they are electorally insignificant they have demonstrated how even electoral minority can rule the country. It is this class that controls the media outlets or the knowledge industry that shapes the opinion through the pulp fictions. A head count in these shops of knowledge will reveal the omnipresence of the Tilak class as opinion designers of the country.
This opportunist class makes a lethal combo with the moneyed category. The proverbial Brahmin- Banaya combination is the most fearsome combination since antiquity in this country.
No matter who may be the figurehead of power, the Tilak class is known for backing the rising sun. They like to remain close to the power base and love to rub the butter on the right side of the toast.
This third friend of Modi, the Tilak is adding zest to his campaign. Since his stock is on the rise in the 2014 general election is going gung-ho about him. It remains to be seen how much the Tilak factor can influence the common voters in making Modi the Prime Minister.
The Lok Sabha election 2014 will be unique in many senses. It is seen as the assertion of three forces Tilak (Brahmins), Taraju (Banya) and Talwar (RSS) that has come out in open for the first time to support for vote Modi campaign. It will be an election of these three friends of Modi Vs rest of the nation.
The second uniqueness is the nature and direction of change to be brought about by this election. In the absence of the change in the mode of production or relations of production, will merely the change of guard bring about any systematic change in the country?
The third thing is the huge amount of first time voters all below thirty five years in this election. They will choose a government of their choice. Who will fit in the aspirations adds uniqueness to this election.
Fourth is the power of ‘None of the above’ or NOTA option that is being introduced for the first time in these elections. How this option will be exercised by the voters is another unique feature of the 2014 general election.
At this moment the three friends of Modi, Tilak, Taraju aur Talwar, are making most of the sound controlling his electioneering campaign. How much the common voters will be influenced by their tune of music will be known only after the elections. It will be another story to tell on an another day.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at [email protected]