BJP imitating Nehru, not Bhagwat in celebrating Independence, Republic days

If January 22, 2024, was the ‘true’ Independence Day for India, why was there no celebration at the national level on its first anniversary? Instead, four days later the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government whole-heartedly imitated the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to commemorate with full pomp and show the completion of 75 years of Republic Day. In 1950, when the then Indonesian
President Sukarno was invited as the chief guest this time the head of the state of the same country Prabowo Subianto graced the occasion.

In comparison to this January 22—or January 11 as per the lunar calendar, followed by Hindus–passed off as a virtual non-event across the country. There was some confusion as officially the first anniversary
was celebrated on January 11. While Independence and Republic Days are celebrated in all the nooks and corners of India, on January 22 or January 11 this year even Ayodhya witnessed a much low-key function when compared to last year. No VVIP graced the occasion.

Even the chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mohan Bhagwat, had nothing special to offer on this occasion. This was so even though only on January 14 he called the consecration of Ram Mandir as the ‘true’ Independence Day of India.

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Inconsistency within


It is another thing that there is no dearth of mavericks in the BJP who claim that India actually got freedom on May 26, 2014, that is the day Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister for the first time.

This inconsistency on Independence or even Republic Day exposes the contradictions within the Sangh Parivar. If August 15 and January 26 are celebrated with full fervour and gaiety all over India, by the same logic January 22 should also be commemorated annually. Otherwise, it would be understood that in 2024 the ‘true’ Independence Day was observed on such a massive scale keeping in mind the Lok Sabha election later the same year.

At the same time, Mohan Bhagwat’s statement on the eve of Makar Sankranti raises several uncomfortable questions. If India got Independence on January 22, 2024, what was the status of—not to mention others–Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani? Were they not the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Slave India? At the same time was Modi not the Prime Minister of free India between May 26, 2014 and January 22, 2024? If “hazar saal ki ghulami” (A thousand years of slavery) ended on May 26, 2014, Modi was by the same argument the chief minister of Gujarat under the rule of a foreign power. If this is not the case what was the status of India between August 15, 1947 and January 22, 2024?

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Viksit Bharat


If India was not truly Independent, why did the Modi government celebrate the 75th year of freedom in 2022 on such a massive scale? Where was there any need for “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”? And is it not that we have been living in “Amrit Kaal”–a period between 2022 and 2047? And why is it that the government has set the goal of “Viksit Bharat 2047” (Developed India 2047)? Why should we invest so much money, energy, and attention in highlighting independence which is not true? Why were so many schemes launched or announced by the present government on August 15, 2014?

Mohan Bhagwat’s dilemma


The RSS chief has exposed the dilemma of his organization. He is doing a lot of flip-flops in its 100th year. Just 26 days before his ‘true’ Independence Day speech he on December 19 last lambasted those who are raking up mandir-masjid dispute every day. And just after the poor performance of the BJP in the Lok Sabha poll in June last year he in a way pulled up PM Modi and held his arrogance responsible for it.

The challenge before the RSS chief is that the BJP is no more a cadre-based organisation of the pre-Ram Mandir movement years. It has now grown up into a mass-based party. So if the BJP chief J P Nadda said on the eve of the 2024 Lok Sabha election that his party does not need RSS anymore as it is capable of running itself, he had a point.

Actually, the transformation from a cadre-based to a mass-based party started in the 1990s, but it still had some old features left till May 26, 2014.

Whether India got real independence on May 26, 2014, or January 22, 2024, will remain a debatable issue within the Parivar. But there is no denying the fact that the BJP really got out of the clutches of RSS on May 26, 2014.

In such a situation, Mohan Bhagwat has to do a lot of tightrope walking. He cannot afford to be so forthright like his predecessor K S Sudarshan, who on several occasions publicly disagreed with Vajpayee or Advani.

Bhagwat lacks guts. So he keeps changing his stance. His latest statement of ‘true’ Independence may be a move to calm down many within the Parivar who felt upset by his December 19 statement. Even the RSS mouthpiece, Organizer, disagreed with him, only to clarify later.

Let us see how long this blow-hot, blow-cold relationship continues.

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