The fighters of Hindutva and Sangh Parivar have found a lucrative vein of causes that may sustain them for many years.  With its mix of intolerance, hate speech, and, of course, violence, the community campaigns they may launch are endless.

The latest in the drive to target the Mughals is the rioting in nagpur that has followed calls to demolish Aurangzeb's grave.  Every Mughal building will be targeted one by one, and this might carry on indefinitely.  That dynasty is so prevalent that it should keep the Hindutva crew completely engaged and prevent them from thinking about problems like unemployment or a collapsing economy.  Because of the Mughals' lengthy and prolonged dominance over india and the effects it had on language, culture, architecture, aesthetics, and of course cuisine, the Sanghis have always harbored a special animosity for them.
 
For better or worse, nothing was unaffected by the Mughals. They perhaps had a bigger impact on modern-day india than even the british colonialists.  It's also critical to remember that, although coming from "outside" Hindustan, the Mughals lived here and are consequently just as indian as everyone else.  Actually, the british arrived, took advantage of them, and then went.
 
The Mughals remained after Babur, marrying into various families from all around the country, including those of different religions. Sanghis do not feel the same way about the British. That is not how the Sangh and bjp perceive things.  The Mughals are solely perceived by them as invaders, and more significantly, as Muslim invaders.  (For some reason, the Sanghis do not feel the same hatred for the british, the Crown, and the east india Company.)  Even worse, they hold Muslims in india accountable for all the transgressions of the Mughals, including the supposed persecution of Hindus, in addition to being their ancestors.
 
As a result, they have started attacking dynasty-related websites. The Babri Masjid, a mosque constructed in the 16th century by a commander in Babur's army, was the first target they targeted.  L K Advani incited such a craze that his India-wide yatra created a trail of bloodshed and ultimately resulted in the masjid being demolished by young men brandishing pickaxes.  Bombay saw more bloodshed in 1992–1993.  The shiv sena and the bjp took control in the state for the first time shortly after the official death toll of over 900 persons, mostly Muslims, was announced.
 
Since then, bombay and india have changed drastically. Hindutva's first victim was mahatma Gandhi. The Sangh parivar has now decided to target aurangzeb, the final notable Mughal, more than 33 years later.  Maharashtrians hold aurangzeb in high contempt, and schoolchildren are told tales of how shivaji Maharaj outsmarted him.  The maharashtra navnirman sena requested that the burial be removed in 2022 following a visit by an AIMIM representative.

The Shiv Sena's desire to rename aurangabad in the 1980s also centered on Aurangzeb's history.  But generally speaking, maharashtra has not had a significant problem with the issue.  Despite this, the Sangh parivar has continued to construct this hazard.  And since it is the only language they know, violence is nearly always present when Hindutva organizations make such an outcry.
 
The movie Chhaava, about Shivaji's son Sambhaji, who is portrayed as a valiant man who was taken prisoner by Aurangzeb's forces, is the direct cause of the most recent wave of manufactured indignation and the violence that followed.  The maratha warrior endures severe torture before being put to death.  In the movie, Sambhaji and his troops are valiant and heroic, but all the Muslims under Aurangzeb's general's leadership are ruthless, torturers, and rapists. Broad strokes, loud utterances and declarations, and louder sound effects are used to illustrate all of this.
 
There are no hidden meanings in the plot or handling of the movie; it is clear that there is a conflict between Muslims and Hindus, and there have been instances of people getting quite angry.  Hindu organizations have called for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb and have used the movie to discuss his brutality towards Hindus.  The BJP-controlled maharashtra government fanned the flames.  Although he bemoaned the fact that the burial, located in Chattrapati Sambhaji Nagar, was an ASI-protected monument and could only be removed by following the rules, chief minister devendra fadnavis stated that he thought the grave should be destroyed.
 
Nitesh Rane, the minister of fisheries, publicly demanded that it be destroyed.  The strategy used by the Sangh Parivar to scare Muslims  By any measure, these statements are provocative and inflammatory, and violence erupted in nagpur, the hometown of fadnavis and the location of the RSS headquarters.  The claim made by fadnavis that Chhaava had "brought public anger to the fore" is easily reconciled. He hasn't hauled up Rane either.
 
Nobody is misled by Fadnavism, even if they may wish to hunt with the hounds and run with the hare. The 'grave' of aurangzeb is a fairly low-key occasion, which is ironic.  As per his desires, he was laid to rest in an unmarked cemetery inside the Khultabad, aurangabad (now Sambhaji nagar) Chishti Sufi shrine of Zaynuddin Shirazi. A Nizam constructed the marble building surrounding it in the 20th century.
 
What are the desires of the mobs? They are limited to destroying the marble building and trampling on the tomb. It will create effective television optics and media copy.  The general people won't benefit from it, but when has that mattered?

The Sanghis have a larger scheme, of course. Following their goal of intimidating Muslims, they will surely choose another target—another mosque, another building, another Mughal.  Shah Jahan and Akbar the Great, most likely.  Will they then call for the destruction of the taj mahal or the prohibition of the classic movie Mughal-e-Azam? All of a sudden, nothing seems unlikely.
 
 
 

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SIBY JEYYA

22/03/2025 07:00 AM