Prof. Ram Puniyani.
Communal violence has been the bane of Indian politics. It also forms the base of communal politics which aims to divide the society along the lines of religion. The foundations of this hate were laid by the British, who pursued the policy of ‘divide and rule’. To begin with this was done by using the communal view of history. This was developed in parallel and opposite directions by Muslim league on one side and Hindu Mahasabha-RSS on the other. This led to the genesis and growth of Communal violence. Adding on to history gradually other emotive issues were added up to intensify the hate against the ‘other’ community. Violence started going up, leading to the pre-partition violence of horrific proportions.
After the partition tragedy this ‘Hate other’ kept occurring at the regular repetitive cycle. The pre-partition violence had very different dynamics and both the communities were equally involved. In the post partition scenario, with major elements of Muslim communalism having emigrated to Pakistan, the violence went on becoming anti Muslim violence in the main. The hate against Muslim community started shooting up gradually and started becoming more rooted in the social common sense.
The hate manufactured in RSS Shakhas through stories of great Hindu Kings and evil Muslim kings apart from other issues leading to hate, propagated through schools and media run by it zoomed up after 1977, when Lal Krihna Advni as Information and Broadcasting Minister ensured that news agencies become infiltrated by the people with communal mindset. With Modi becoming Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Corporate close to Modi started buying the major news portals, converting Indian media into Godi media. This was supplemented by the social media, BJP IT cell.
The dog whistles and direct insinuations against Muslim community and later Christian community began right from top, the Prime minister and started percolating down and getting a strong place in social thinking. Modi very cleverly coined the Hate slogans, like those having more wives and children, they can be identified by their clothes, smashan (Cremation Ground);Kabristan (Graveyard), and many like this became prevalent due to the word-of-mouth propaganda and these became fodder for social media.
The shrewd formulations went on a logical worsening spiral. The hate against minorities is worsening by the day. Newer formulations are now coming up to the extent of giving calls to Hindus to keep arms as Hindus are in danger.
An important book showing the coining and spreading of Hate came from Swati Chaturvedi, ‘I was a Troll’. In an intense peep into the World of IT cell she brought to our notice how a number of youths are employed to spread hate through social media.
Book ‘The Hindi pop’ by Kunal Purohit is an eye opener. In his path breaking investigation, which is presented in this important book H-Pop. He, through the ground level work unraveled the popular pop singers and found that communal content is the central theme of their songs, which became popular due to its attractive music. Through the analysis of major pop singers, Purohit “…examines pop music, poetry, and influencer culture respectively. H-Pop works on multiple levels: an anthropological deep dive into the world of Hindutva pop,…investigative journalism about their (singers) links with the BJP and other Hindutva organizations, and academic analysis of the role of music, poetry, and pop culture in stoking violence.” And “ wider weaponization of pop culture by the Hindutva ecosystem: leaders of the ruling party openly make hate speeches and drive hate rallies, school textbooks peddle Hindutva history as fact, mainstream Bollywood movies peddle Hindutva propaganda,”
Pooja Prasanna (News Minute) in her video “Communal Color from Kerala Right wing to Hindutva pop” based on a research by her colleague tells us that in Kerala many Hindus in in late night chat rooms (11.30 pm) onwards call for possessing arms to combat the threat of Muslims. To be in contact with local RSS shakha for protection. They call Muslims as a threat and a ticking bomb, they also recall derogatory Bulli bai and Sullibai (internet auction of Muslim women) social media insults to Muslim women.
What is adding up to all this is the flood of Bollywood films, like Kashmir Files, Kerala Story, Bengal files and what have. Incidentally Kashmir files was recommended by RSS Chief Bhagwat and PM Modi.
In his much advertised lectures in Vigyan Bhavan in August 2025, Bhagwat had sugar coated his divisive agenda very cleverly when he stated that “A Hindu is one who believes in following their own path without demeaning others’ beliefs and respects others’ faith without disrespecting them. Those who follow this tradition and culture are Hindus…”As he stated this all the above; processes of intolerance for Muslims and Hate against them has been fully operational
This is also manifested in what is going on in Assam. Hemant Biswa Sarma is out to implement the disenfranchisement and torture of Bengalis speaking Muslims, As Bhagwat is looking the other way and probably smiling for the enhancement of his Hindu Rashtra agenda. Harsh Mander in his Scroll article points out, Himanta Sarma said “I would urge Assamese to learn from Israel. In the Middle East that country is surrounded by Muslim fundamentalists. With Iran and Iraq as neighbors, Israel with a small population has become an impregnable society…” and Suvendu Adhikari, BJP leader of West Bengal asserts that Sabka Saath sabka Vikas (With everybody, everybody’s development)should be given up.
Where are we heading with Sarma portraying Assamese Muslims of Bengali origin as the dangerous “other”, the “infiltrator”, the enemy that threatens the future of the people to whom Assam rightfully (and exclusively) belongs. This is a profound shift transforming an ethno-nationalist movement to a stridently communal one, targeting only people of Bengali origin of Muslim identity. He has gone so far as to direct the Foreigners’ Tribunals to drop all cases of Hindu Bangladeshis who entered Assam until 2014, and pursue cases only against Muslims.
As BJP has taken firm grip on power, through whatever means, the likes of Himanta Sarma and Suvendu Adhikari are becoming bolder in their pronouncements, while Bhagwat makes all the efforts to present his core agenda, in a language which sounds palatable. Modi has been leading in giving the most divisive statements. Now more mechanisms are coming into operation as the seeds of hatred sowed by RSS and nurtured through various mechanisms are coming to fruition.
