What should the state do with Praveenbhai Togadia, general secretary VHP and rabble rouser at large, who unabashedly plays communal politics and dares the law? How, specifically, must a Congress government deal with Togadia and the Togadia-like? The Congress has long been flailing about for a counter-strategy to Hindutva and its Togadias; the battle of attrition between those who espouse soft Hindutva and others who advocate a hard secularism is an ongoing one. In this ferment, the Ashok Gehlot government’s arrest of Togadia in Rajasthan lays down a very welcome bottomline. It recognises that even as the nuances of the larger political response are debated, the government must uphold the law of the land. There can be no debating, no quibbling over this one.Having said that, it is sad that the Rajasthan government’s action must be seen to be worthy of comment or commendation. Togadia was arrested for defying prohibitory orders and a ban on the distribution, possession and carrying of tridents in the state, except at religious places. He had broken a law, so why the gratified applause at the arrest that followed? Truth is, ever since the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre and especially after Gujarat, the VHP has successfully courted a larger-than-law image. Togadia and Co have gotten away on several occasions with threatening to, when not actually undermining, the rule of law. The outfit is known for its inveterate minority-bashing and effusive hate-speech. It has often proclaimed its resolve not to abide by the court verdict on Ayodhya; most recently, Togadia flaunted his organisation’s role in the Babri masjid demolition and the riots in Gujarat. In other words, the VHP has made no secret of the fact that it believes it can cock a snook at the law with impunity. And governments at the state and the Centre have fostered this belief. It is in this context that the Gehlot government’s throwing the book at Togadia, or indeed the arrest of Acharya Dharmendra by the Digvijay Singh government in Madhya Pradesh earlier, is a noteworthy departure.In this election year, a long and hard fight awaits opponents of the VHP’s brand of politics. This contest must be conducted at various levels. The appropriation of words and symbols must be challenged — the apparent ease with which the VHP has hijacked ‘dharam sansad’ for the get-togethers of its motley sadhus and sants, for instance, or its attempt now to wrest the symbolism of Lord Shiva’s trishul. The tug of war is bound to continue into the year and there will be compromises and surrenders on the way. But everyone would do well to remember the unyielding bottomline that the Rajasthan government has laid down in Ajmer.
