Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra and RSS ideologue Desh Ratan Nigam presented opposing views on nationalism, hyper-nationalism and Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in a discourse ‘Jingoism and hyper-nationalism — an Indian perspective’ at the Military Literature Festival here today.

Sir Mark Tully, former BBC Chief of Bureau, New Delhi, was the moderator of the session. Tully said the world was witnessing a rising tide of nationalism, which was important, but could be misused by the political parties as well.

When asked to differentiate ‘patriotism’ from ‘hyper-nationalism’, Moitra said: “Patriotism is an innate love for the country and hyper-nationalism is basically trying to create a pseudo-enemy to use it for justifying casteism and religious fundamentalism and to completely cut out any critical engagement.”

“People in the armed force are actually on the ground dealing with real enemies and they know the ground realities, whereas with hyper-nationalism you create an unseen dark force that everyone is supposed to hate,” she added.

RSS member Desh Ratan Nigam said: “The Indian concept of nationalism is extension to spirituality that accepts everything. We have never excluded anybody and that’s why RSS calls it diversity in unity.”

“However, this unity has been destroyed over a period of time. The artificial differences that weren’t there were brought in and the final nail in the coffin was the partition, which almost divided the country on the basis of two-nation theory,” he added.

Nigam said: “There is no concept of hyper-nationalism or jingoism. These are western concepts to make us feel apologetic about our own ancient civilization and we have to come out of it.”

On Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), Moitra said: “I don’t think an overtly aggressive form of religion has anything to do with political ideology. When you are completely bankrupt in ideology and delivering the promises, you sidetrack and do things like that.”

While rebutting the same, Nigam said: “Indian Constitution was never supposed to be secular. The term was added during the 1976 emergency period.”

‘Can’t control nationalism’

Moitra said: “You can’t control nationalism. Usually, when a government is voted to power using aggressive nationalistic sentiments, they feel that they owe it to people. So, they change laws, play with the Constitution, tinker with the framework the country is used to.”

“Indian ethos are all about moderation and will endure the present onslaught by communal forces,” said TMC MP Mahua Moitra.