Politics: Faultlines

It is natural, of course, for a coalition government to have internal differences – indeed, in the absence of such differences, the parties constituting the coalition could as well have amalgamated into a single party and ceased to be an alliance. However, when the differences grow large enough to confuse the operative content of the coalition government’s decisions, the alliance threatens to become unviable. The differences within the ruling National Democratic Alliance appear to be growing at an accelerating pace. The faultlines are many: the attacks on Christians, the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister’s autonomy demand, different aspects of economic policy and the central government’s policy on Sri Lanka. The BJP has managed to get its way so far because of lack of a consistent position among the opponents to its point of view within the coalition. This state of affairs cannot, however, be taken for granted.

Take the incidents of attack on Christians in different parts of the country. So far there is little by way of actionable proof, of the kind that can lead to successful prosecution in the courts, that all the attacks have been carried out by one of the Hindu organisations linked to the BJP. At the same time, there is no disputing the fact that the attacks have been encouraged by the hostile campaign unleashed by these organisations. While the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have been raising an alarm over conversions, members of the Bajrang Dal have been quoted in the media as saying that they consider it legitimate to use force against Christian missionaries and their activities. It is not necessary that in every single case of violence against Christians, the immediate motive is communal. Disputes over property, admission to schools run by Christian institutions, school fee hikes, etc, have been identified as proximate causes of attacks on Christians in many of the cases. This does not, however, negate the role played by the Hindu organisations’ communal propaganda. So far the BJP’s allies have avoided charging the BJP with culpability for the statements and doings of these organisations. This position may not be sustainable should the attacks increase or when elections approach in the states where the allies have a major political stake.