Modi's 'Hindu' problem: Too Hindutva for spiritual leaders

It’s an insult made in a Mamata or a Mulayam heaven, you’d think. “There are two names that evoke terror in our country. One is Indian Mujahideen. The other is Narendra Modi.” However, the accusation came from a quarter you least expect to bash-up Narendra Modi in terms such as those. Apart from committing what could well be heresy in the BJP world - likening Modi to terror outfit IM -Acharya Pramod Krishnam, based in Haridwar, also pointed out that it would be the first time seers in the holy city will be extended the blessings of a ’neta’ (political leader). “Narendra Modi and Baba Ramdev are alike. One is accused of killing thousands of people. While the other is being probed in the case of his guru’s mysterious disappearance. They have similar mindsets,” he says. [caption id=“attachment_1506093” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Narendra Modi. Reuters.[/caption] A quick Google search on Krishnam, however, reveals somewhat of a predictable reason behind his invective against Modi. His  official website , which traces his journey to ‘sainthood’, shows that the masters degree holder has been associated with the Congress party since its Rajiv Gandhi days. His Facebook page , which profusely congratulates him for being nominated as a candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from Sambhal, Muradabad, is also dotted with dozens of pictures of him addressing press conferences and appearing for photo-ops with a smattering of Congress leaders including Manish Tewari. However, the BJP and BJP supporters’ new-found and extensively displayed ownership of Hinduism has not drawn out just the likes of Krishnam out of their religious isolation. With Modi deciding to contest the polls from Varanasi, his fans came up with a rousing chant to worship their leader - Har Har Modi. Only, the Shankaracharya of Varanasi wasn’t so amused. “Har Har Modi” was created by tweaking a popular refrain used to invoke Shiva - “Har Har Mahadev”. He reportedly said that his fans might not realise this, but if such acts are continued, God will stop Modi. The BJP beat a hasty retreat and issued an advisory asking people to not use ‘Har Har Modi’ as a party slogan. However, were Modi’s worshippers daunted? No. As Firstpost editor Sanjay Singh found out during his trip to Varanasi, thousands of enamoured Modi fans descended on the streets of Varanasi on the day he filed his nomination and chanted ‘Har Har Modi’ in an overwhelming chorus. Hinduism, evidently, took a backseat to a new religion Varanasi seemed to have discovered - and that is Narendra Modi. In the recent times, its roots in Hindutva and at times radical versions of it, is a perception that the BJP has been struggling to distance itself from. However, exulting Narendra Modi to the echelons of a cult seems to have spawned a side-effect that the party was probably not prepared to deal with. While Modi himself reserves his encomiums for Maa Ganga and other such markers of Hinduism for special occasions like filing a nomination from a religiously-charged constituency like Varanasi, his fans have created a parallel orbit all by themselves where Modi is not just a Prime Ministerial candidate, but a savior of Hinduism, almost a religious warrior. Modi himself has consciously tried to steer clear of the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ ideology that he seems to have sparked off. However, with comments like ones on ‘pink revolution’ he seems to have convinced his supporters that his first responsibility is towards Hinduism, then to the country.  The Hindu  reported: “Mr. Modi said he had heard of the green revolution and the white revolution. But the Congress lost interest in them, and instead was spearheading, what he called, the pink revolution. “There is no subsidy for farmers or for rearing cattle, but the Congress gives subsidy to those who slaughter cows.”” Unfortunately, BJP’s PM candidate’s charms have not been able to have much sway over the country’s existing religious establishment. With enthusiastic Modi-backers creating almost a parallel religious order in the country where Modi is the head, the existing religious leaders have seen red. After the Varanasi Shankaracharya ticked off BJP, the Shankaracharyas of Puri and Dwarka, have told the media that they will campaign against Modi. And unlike Krishnam, they have no obvious political agenda against Modi or BJP. Also, while not many other spiritual figureheads have come out criticizing Modi for turning Hinduism into a political agenda, they have also not voiced their support for Narendra Modi as the poster-boy of Hinduism like his supporters make him out to be. Except for Baba Ramdev, there aren’t many names from the realms of religion that have gotten associated with Modi. PTI reports : “While Puri Shankaracharya Swami Adhokshjanand Devtirath has blamed Modi for 2002 Gujarat riots, Dwarka Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has also been his critic since long and had taken him on recently for ‘Har Har Modi’ slogan, inspired by a religious incantation, raised by his supporters.” However, will these religious voices manage to stay afloat faced with the ‘Modi wave’? We’ll know in exactly two weeks.