JNU Row: Here's why Modi govt is so eager to crackdown on 'anti-national' elements

“Haan, humne patriotism ka theka lia hai,” thundered  BJP MLA OP Sharma just after beating up a CPI worker outside the Patiala High Court on Monday. His tone of defining nationalism for 1.2 billion people is not significantly different from the one struck a day earlier by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, when he said ‘anti- nationals’ will not be spared.

BJP President Amit Shah and other leaders of varying stature belonging to the saffron hue have roughly spoken out in the same vein, condemning the slogans allegedly raised on the JNU campus. Suddenly, the gap between the so-called hardliners and the moderates in the party has been closed with nationalistic fervour acting as the great leveller. Adityanath and Kiren Rijiju who starkly differed on the question of consumption of beef in  India are now on the same page. That is essentially one of the important facets of the sudden activism of the government in JNU and other campuses across the country.

The Modi government came to power riding on a tsunami of support, promising to be the harbinger of change. More than one and half years down the line, not much has changed. Some Ministers have indeed made broad strides, but overall effect has been less than the sum of its parts. Arun Jaitley may claim that the government is busy cleaning up the mess created by the UPA, but voters are an impatient lot. While the industry and the middle class are looking for economic reforms to kick in, BJP’s core vote bank is hoping that the government will take action and pursue agendas like forming the Ram Temple, starting a debate on Article 370 and tackling several other thorny issues head-on. But that is much easier said than done and, save for mouthing platitudes, the Modi government is unlikely to do anything significant.

(Scuffle outside Patiala High Court- PTI)

Even cracking down on Pak-based terror or infiltration, catching or eliminating Dawood Ibrahim is a time ordained process, 56-inch chest notwithstanding. However, crushing student activists, allegedly sloganeering anti-India protests on JNU or HCU campus, are a low hanging fruit. It gives a gooey, warm feeling to supporters that the party is indeed committed to upholding the nationalistic cause. A liberal smattering of Hafiz Sayeed’s name by none other than the Home Minister and we have the image of a government cracking down on conspiracy to unseat the Indian state.

It also gives enough fodder to BJP’s ideological mentor RSS that the party is serious about keeping the left-wing ecosystem in check. Hauling up student leader like Kanhaiya Kumar from a hallowed institute like JNU gives out a message that the government will not be a mute spectator to such activities elsewhere. It is a loud and ominous message that Rajnath and Amit Shah have only reinforced. Were the students/ activists/ intruders idiotic in chanting anti-India, pro–Pakistan slogan in JNU? Most will unequivocally say yes. But Delhi Police’s reaction, especially with hauling up of the student union president and slapping sedition charge on him (there is no clarity on whether he even raised the slogans or not), suggests that the government was just looking for an excuse to teach a ‘lesson’. If a sinister plan was indeed being hatched to destroy the Indian state, then there is a plausible rationale of a government swoop down. However, in that case, they need to furnish the necessary proof to the nation. Otherwise, slapping of sedition charges for mere sloganeering reeks of action and over-reaction based on confirmation bias.

Becoming like Pakistan to fight Pakistan or further fuelling the angst of citizens who feel short-changed by their own country is not really a wise step, especially for a government with a massive mandate. But, as of now, it looks the government intends to play to its gallery of supporters and organisation alike, flashing the hyper-nationalism card. As the soaring popularity of one ‘patriotic’ anchor suggests, the issue resonates well with the ‘educated’ class. ‘Hyper-nationalism’ can be the opium of the masses till the 'achhe din' roll in.