The rise of the ultra-Right

It is disappointing to see the triumph of right-wing forces – from the UK to India. Some of them are clearly ultra-nationalists who believe in the supremacy of one race or nation, as in the case of many Western states and some Latin American countries. Some others base this superiority on religion, like India and Israel. All of them have been playing havoc with the lives of millions, polarising their societies and spreading hatred in one or another way.

The defeat of Jeremy Corbyn in the British elections indicates that such forces are not confined to a country with an ‘illiterate’ population but that the pernicious tentacles of hate are also encircling the so-called civilised Western capitalist states that have high literacy and modern

technology.

One may argue that such elements do not have electoral strength. For instance it could be asserted that the English white supremacists do not have a significance presence in the British parliament. The English Defence League has not been able to muster enough support to become an electoral power but it seems that, like the Pakistani religious parties, such elements are emerging as a powerful social force that influences the way people cast their vote.

English nationalists think that the EU has usurped the sovereignty of the UK. These nationalists view Brussels as a dictatorial ruler. It was chauvinists like them who initially propagated against migrants and Muslims. They complained about their jobs being taken away by Europeans and other migrants. Their propaganda worked at the end of the day and the British people opted to leave the EU.

The Tories have always worked against the interests of the working class. They have always sided with private capital. It has always been their duty to serve the interests of large firms and big businesses. The Conservatives also chose to axe the benefits of the working class besides cracking down on unions. Their axe of austerity has always fallen on the services that a modern state is supposed to provide to its citizens. From the NHS to every other public service, it’s all going to be put up for sale.

Nobody can doubt the pro-business credentials of the Tories, but it seems the party of the rich created an impression that it subscribes to the ideas of hate-mongers. It also covertly or overtly resorted to anti-immigrant rhetoric and Islamophobia. Boris Johnson was accused of publicly mocking Muslim women’s veils and some Muslim traditions. In the end, that paid off and they won.

Trump in America also resorted to anti-immigrant rhetoric in a country that was founded by immigrants. He exploited the resentment of the white working class that was furious over the transfer of industries to the states of the Global South. For Trump, the biggest issue was not the killing of over 30,000 Americans who fall prey to gun violence. More than 300,000 have lost their lives in senseless gun shooting incidents in the last 20 years in the US. The loss of over 20,000 lives because of overdose of opioids did not matter for Trump.

Poverty within the black and Latino communities did not feature anywhere in Trump’s manifesto. Homelessness of the marginalised did not disturb the rich politician. Instead of directing his attention towards these issues, he vented his anger against the Mexicans, pumping around five billion dollars into a wall that would prevent these hapless people from entering the most powerful country of the world. For Trump, Obamacare was a waste of money that helped millions of Americans. But allocating billions of dollars for the space force, doling out tax redemption to corporate goons or giving an exponential rise to the defence budget makes absolute sense at a time when millions of Americans are caught in poverty and homelessness and the mass majority has not seen any rise in their wages for decades.

In India, this rise of right-wing forces manifested itself in an ugly form. In the 1970s, the retrogressive forces of the largest democracy were on the periphery in the sense that they did not make it to parliament in large numbers. It cannot be said that such forces did not exist at all. On the contrary, they had been there for decades, training and mobilising people through their institutional work. But since such forces had not played any significant role in the freedom struggle or their work was dwarfed by what the Indian National Congress leaders had done for the sake of Indian independence, they were political orphans in a way. Their sympathisers had infiltrated various political parties but they did not have a party of their own.

The onslaught of neo-liberal ideology in the 1970s and 1980s shattered the belief of people in the Indian National Congress which was hitherto seen as an ardent supporter of the poor. Manmohan Singh’s market reforms strengthened the position of rapacious agents of the corporate world. Such policies alienated the working class or a common Indian. With the passage of time, Hindu nationalists created an impression that they could serve their corporate masters better than the socialist Congress. Resentment against the Congress created a political vacuum.

The Hindu ultra-nationalists seized upon this opportunity, creating a fear of Muslims and minorities. They waged a relentless war to create a monolithic society. Their ideology of hate attracted millions of people who found a sense of empowerment in mob justice and targeting the most vulnerable communities of India.

So, what started off as a movement to construct a temple emerged as the largest political party of India, in fact a blot on Indian democracy. Soon after coming into power, the right-wing Hindu fundamentalists started creating their own autocrats in every province, distorting history, removing historical monuments or renaming cities and towns. For them, the millions living below the poverty line do not matter. For them, the more than 44 percent who do not have access to pure drinking water are non-existent.

Millions of Indians who are bereft of power supply, a decent housing, toilet facility or education do not feature on the priority list. Attacks on Valentine’s Day celebrations, persecution of Muslims and other minorities, thrashing of Dalits and taking out rallies on non-issues seem to be on the top of their priority list. In fact, they seem to have a dogged determination to tear the entire social fabric of India.

The brutalities of the Indian forces in Kashmir and the red corridor have already alienated millions of Indians but such alienation does not seem to have satisfied Modi and his tedious acolytes of the RSS. Now, they have come up with this imprudent law of citizenship that has effectively turned India into a monolithic state.

The law has triggered protests and violent clashes. But this is not a law; it is a thinking that is dominant from New Delhi to Washington DC – though in varying forms. It is because of the surrender of progressive forces that retrogressive elements – from India to the UK – are triumphing.

It is time progressive forces of all countries put up a joint resistance against these chauvinist elements. Their ideology of hate will push the world towards a conflagration which may incinerate every trace of human existence. If the people in the advanced capitalist countries and in the Global South want to stamp out these forces, they must pledge not to support any party or outfit that spreads hatred in the name of religion, nation or race – and the results of elections should reflect their solemn pledge.

The writer is a freelance journalist.

Email: egalitarianism444@gmail.com