A diabolical diversion

The Aurangzeb tomb issue is just to prevent us from raising tough questions that matter

Alok Tiwari

In the 11 years of Modi regime, the country is used to occasional stirring of communal cauldron. This usually happens just before major elections are due either nationally or in big states. So, it is a bit surprising to see the ruling party leaders raise the Aurangzeb bogey now. Modi government is safely ensconced at the Centre. His party has won major states too. No significant elections are due in next few months. Lighting communal fires now defy the usual experience. But make no mistake the fires are as deliberate as they are diabolical.

There is no earthly reason why a Mughal emperor who ruled centuries ago should become an issue now. Such issues are systematically planted in popular mind. Movies like Chhava create the ground and then seemingly casual remarks by politician throw the seeds. The minds already conditioned and consumed by prejudices are enough fertilizers for them to take roots and quickly grow into trees of hatred. Remember the casual suggestion of an Uttar Pradesh leader to have separate wings for Muslims in public hospitals. This was followed by another suggestion by another politician asking Muslims not to step out during Holi festival.

This found echo in Maharashtra where a mob tried to storm a mosque during Holi. Politicians here (no prizes for guessing from which party) were already stoking communal fires over Aurangzeb. The reality of this hit home in the following days when even Nagpur, a traditionally peaceful city, was rocked by communal clashes this week. Nagpur has seen worse and kept its head. It did not fall prey to anti-Sikh sentiments in 1984 and remained largely peaceful in 1993 in the aftermath of razing of Babri Masjid. When a city like that is buffeted by communal forces you know that the rot is deep and the danger real.

But back to the motive of this all. The answer lies in economy. This appears to be a diversion to take popular attention away from the generally slowing economy and possibility of a major upheaval in coming months. The economic headwinds have been building for some time. The stock market has been reeling since last October triggered by flight of foreign portfolio investment. Foreign funds have taken billions of dollars away from the country in the most significant vote of no-confidence in the economy. This flight of capital has few parallels in history. It has seriously burned the millions of retail investors who jumped in the market following post-Covid euphoria.

Their fears emanate from lacklustre corporate earnings which, in turn, reflect slowing consumption in the economy. The middle class, the only segment whose spending actually matters, in the larger scheme of things has been drastically cutting down in the wake of stagnating wages and lack of jobs for its youth. IT sector, which has been the biggest driver of employment for urban youths for decades, is severely hit by emerging AI revolution and has slowed, if not stopped, hiring.

For years, government has tried to keep the economic momentum going by launching mega projects using borrowed funds. This is seen in building of expensive expressways, flyovers and metros in practically every city. Guess what, those projects, already way over cost and time schedules, are not paying back in the manner projected. All of them remain underutilized. Now the country is approaching the limits of both borrowings as well as taxation burden on the citizens. The great splurge is ending further applying brakes to growth.

Then the world, including India, was hit by the peremptory demands of Trump administration in the US. While every major country including Mexico, Canada, and European Union has tried to stand up to Trump’s bullying by retaliatory tariffs on American goods, Indian response has been one of capitulation. India lowered tariffs on American whiskey and motorcycles and refrained from even raising a whimper of protest. There are reports of further lowering of tariffs on electric vehicles in a move largely seen to appease Trump’s most visible aide Elon Musk.

This too does not augur well for our industry. Lower tariffs are bound to hurt domestic industry. The worst of Trump’s demands is yet to come. One hates to imagine the consequences when he demands lowering of duties and restrictions on agricultural goods. India can ill-afford to do so in view of our already vulnerable farm sector. If it does not give in, further punitive tariffs on Indian exports to US may follow.

All in all, the near future is not going to be easy for economy. And a slow economy is bad news for any government. While these are known issues, the worrying thing is that the government seems to have no clue on how to deal with them. It just does not have the intellectual bandwidth needed to deal with the problems of this magnitude. The budget was expected to address them, but it turned out to be an uninspiring one.

Hence the fall back on tried and tested formula of raising communal issues. These seem to work when nothing else does. They will keep coming, continuously and relentlessly. They are created and fanned by the most ruthless propaganda machine this country has ever seen. It is for us citizens to realize that we are being played. We have lived with Aurangzeb’s tomb for generations without any problem, just as we did with Babri Masjid. Its razing will not improve our lives just as building a new memorial to whom we consider hero won’t. We need to get over them and start asking questions on issues that really affect our lives. And by we, I mean particularly the Hindus. We have bought into this garbage wholesale, and it is our job to clean it up. Pointing out radicalization among Muslims is a lame argument. If we still do not give up this crack of communal hatred, we should be prepared to see our next generation destroyed.

This column appeared in Lokmat Times on March 19, 2025