It was most inspiring to learn of the Supreme Court's description of the use of a bulldozer to destroy the houses of six families at Allahabad as "inhuman" and "illegal." It shocks our conscience, said the judges, and it stands for the "high-handedness" of authorities. The court allotted Rs 10 lakhs to each family. But an affected party, Prof Ali Ahmed Fatmi says, no compensation can heal the pain of destroying one's beloved home: a carefully built-up library destroyed, affectionately collected books ruined, painstakingly produced manuscripts lost!

Adityanath Yogi, however, has defended his use of the bulldozer. Let people suffer the consequences of their wrongdoing, he says. He has earned names like 'bulldozer baba' and 'bulldozer monk.' Sympathisers with the victims mock his 'bulldozer justice.' Yogi's admirers, like Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, seek to follow him closely. People ask whether Assam is going to be just a carbon copy of Uttar Pradesh, with bulldozers and encounter killings.

Yes, the bulldozer functions still. Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities live in dread of 'bulldozer justice.' Hindutva-motivated leaders consider speed as efficiency in their destructive initiatives. Nashik civic body razed an 'illegal' dargah hours before the Supreme Court intervened with a stay order.

"Bulldozer Is a Symbol of Hate"
Pieter Friedrich, an American journalist specialised in South Asian affairs, recounts in his "Saffron America" (Monee, IL, 2023) how in 2022, during an India Day parade in New Jersey organised by Indian Americans, a bulldozer was displayed with the images of Modi and Yogi. He remembered that Yogi had taken the bulldozer symbolism for his election that year. He reads deep into the significance of the symbol: "The bulldozer is a symbol of hate." It points to the RSS-BJP design to subjugate or eliminate minorities in India; it is a symbol of oppression, division, bigotry, and intimidation of religious minorities. In fact, Yogi has been bulldozing the homes, businesses, and masjids of critics, dissenters, and activists. Churches are being razed ... houses and properties owned by Muslims, Dalits, and minorities have been brought low.

Unfortunately, the Saffron Fever has spread to the US. There have been instances of Hindutva violence in California. Critical American politicians and academicians face censure and are accused of Hinduphobia. Hindutva men keep a keen eye on American academicians to identify dissenting voices. Audrey Truschke, a professor at Rutgers University, has received many death threats and hate mail since she has been critical of the Hindutva ideology. Pieter Friedrich himself was assaulted. We remember that Gauri Lankesh was eliminated in Bangalore ... MM Kalburgi earlier.

"Saffron America"
Someone may be tempted to accuse Pieter Friedrich of making baseless allegations when he says that the RSS is a paramilitary force or that they constitute the power behind the throne. Hindutva groups in America have interpreted them as insulting their religion, but the reality is that many Indian-Americans are supporting Pieter. One remembers how Gandhi had generous support from Britain and Ireland. Many whites fought against colonialism with profound convictions. After all, humanity is a single family. Today, a new form of colonial slavery is taking shape. "Hindutva being in complete iron-clad control of the country, it's (India is) on the verge of becoming…the world's largest fascist country." RSS pushes a 'regressive ideology,' imposing on minorities a homogeneous, hegemonic culture. Activists, academicians, and social workers are arrested, and civil liberties are stripped.

In 1925, KB Hedgewar wanted to establish a "Hindustan of Hindus" just like the "Germany of Germans." Totally exclusive. BS Moonje met Mussolini and was deeply impressed. Golwalkar wanted to learn from Nazi Germany's 'racial policies.' He wanted to take India to its era of "superiority," as the BJP is now seeking to do. Norway's right-wing leader, Anders Behring Breivik, asked white supremacists to learn from the RSS and cooperate with them.

Do not forget, Friedrich's statements are fact-based: over 300 hate crimes against Indian Christians in 21 states have been reported just recently. BJP leaders call on Hindus to "ignite the fire" and "behead" Christians. RSS-linked vigilantes associated with the ruling party insist: 'submit or die.' In 2022, there were 1,198 cases of violence against Christians. The Manipur tragedy speaks of over 200 killed, hundreds of churches burnt, and thousands of homes razed. Hindutva hordes attack churches and file cases against the victims. BJP politicians claim that riots are spontaneous, but we know that they are engineered by Saffron masterminds. For Ashok Singhal, the Gujarat experiment of communal clashes against Muslims in 2002 was a model to be repeated all over the country.

Everything is hushed up. Since 2014, the Internet has been shut down 700 times across entire states.

More Shocking Things Again
Friedrich reports Swami Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati's horror-statement in 2019 at Ghaziabad, "Islam should be eradicated from Earth. All Muslims should be eliminated." Is it Sanatana Dharma? Junior Stalin was protesting against such radicals when he questioned Sanatana Dharma. But it was this Swami, who called for genocide, that was invited by VHPA (Viswa Hindu Parishad of America) to the US, to teach Ramayana to RSS trainees. Professor Audrey Truschke protested. Others joined. Hindus for Human Rights became openly critical. They knew that in 2020, Swami had made a call to "finish off Islam" in Delhi. That was on the eve of the anti-Muslim pogrom there. These are verifiable facts. The bulldozer functions still.

The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) organises training camps to spread its ideology, often in the acceptable name of teaching Yoga. In line with this, in 2016, VHPA hosted the second World Hindu Congress in Chicago on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vivekananda. The Council for Parliament of World Religions withdrew from the event when they heard that Subramanian Swamy was invited. Subramanian had been removed from Harvard University for his Islamophobic statements: he had called for refusing voting rights to Muslims and destroying hundreds of mosques. For Golwalkar, the RSS chief, Muslims and Christians were internal threats, traitors, foreign races, to be purged as Nazis did with the Jews. The bulldozer remains in full function.

The Interference of Indian Americans in Indian Elections
Several reincarnations of the VHP family have come up in America. They are less busy helping the nation of adoption than misleading the country they have abandoned, India, their own homeland. So, in the US, there are the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), Viswa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), Overseas Friends of the BJP (OFBJP), Sewa International, Ekal Vidyalaya, and Global Hindu Heritage Foundation that raise funds for conversion to Hinduism and demolition of 'illegal' churches. While these sponsor Hindutva causes with American money, the Modi government has been denying funds to Christian social activities, including to Mother Teresa's Foundation. These are often victimised while in action; Bajrang Dal organises mob attacks on them.

What is most embarrassing is the way outside forces interfered in the Indian elections. In 2014, OFBJP organised Indian American volunteers to travel to India to campaign for Modi's election. Their number could be anywhere between 2000 and 5000, who, in addition to advertising Modi, even staffed election booths. Further, 5000 were asked to make 200 calls each. We have records that Tulsi Gabbard and others did much work for Modi before the 2014 election.

Again in 2019 in the US, an army of 5000 Indian American volunteers had 200 'chai pe charchas' favouring Modi. Reportedly, 1000 volunteers made one million calls. They hosted BJP leaders. Modi's rallies in New York in 2014, San Jose in 2015, and Houston in 2019 were organised by the OFBJP. Modi, in turn, fostered the OFBJP.

Sewa International gets help from American philanthropists and politicians. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey gave $2.5 million to Sewa International. There is much corporate support for charities. Accusation remained of relief being done only for the upper castes, neglecting Muslims and Dalits. The Hindu right-wing groups had received $833,0000 in COVID aid. What was it used for? UK funds, too, are greatly utilised for RSS expansion in India. Vijay Jolly wants to "indoctrinate" the diaspora with the BJP ideology. Thus, we are not certain if all this money is used for the right purposes.

RSS-BJP Strategy: Divide the Nation and Win Elections
The bulldozer works in other ways too: divide India and win votes to pocket economic advantages; bulldoze the minorities and keep them silent about their grievances. Babri Masjid must go, Kashmir privileges must be wiped out, and Muslim houses must be bulldozed. And today we reap the consequence: Pahalgam. Raise communal anger to the highest level, and stand bewildered about how to respond when negative fruits come. 'Take care, don't be rash,' advise America and China. 'Be prudent, defuse tensions,' whisper Saudi, Qatar and Iran. China will surely support Pakistan; Malaysia favours its view; Turkey has sent warships. The Balakot strike in response to Pulwama won votes, but did not achieve its goal. Internal deception leads to external failure. We cut a shabby figure before nations.

Amit Shah must give up "repeating" that Modi has solved all problems in the Northeast and Kashmir. His Hindi imposition drive alienated the East, South, and now Maharashtra. There is a lot of room for self-criticism for RSS-BJP. The bulldozer culture must go. There is a lot of work to be done in the area of national integration, a mission initiated by people like Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, and Tagore. Apsara Reddy says Pahalgam is due to the neglect of 'emotional education.' Unfortunately, even now, it is used for negative communal motivation, as happened in Gujarat in 2002. Some are busier with the "national alienation" task than "national integration." This is really what is 'anti-national.' The RSS-BJP drive to impose a single religion and culture on all in India has created a sense of insecurity in the people of Kashmir, the Northeast, the South, and among the Sikhs as well. A sense of co-belonging has been dramatically eroded.
Bulldozer Active at Different Levels
Recently, the Andhra High Court declared that those who convert lose their Scheduled Caste status! The government is weaponising its agencies. Misuse of laws is in abundance. The suppression of the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots under 'emergency provisions' was a clear example. Civil disputes are being criminalised against the Opposition Parties in UP. If the courts do not toe the line, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar has this warning: the Supreme Court should not act as a 'super parliament.' The other day at Sibsagar (Assam), a JNU professor, Sunil Mahanty, identified the following groups: evangelical missionaries, radical Islam, Marxism, and western market culture among enemies of Bharat. The very combination does not stand, does not convince.

NCERT textbooks have eliminated the Mughal rule in India. The Muslim era has disappeared. Hindi titles are given to English books. What is it but Hindi colonialism? Stalin argues, English opens the door to global opportunities. Ambedkar made his way up through English education. India excels in the IT field because of its English education. The BJP government wants to close its doors to marginal groups and individuals lest they rise and challenge its domination.

Again, excluding a significant minority in the major party is abnormal in any democracy except India. There is no place for Muslims in the BJP. The main achievements of the Modi era have been: impressive slogans, with no follow-up; renaming of places; rewriting history with a Hindutva bias; and nationalistic boasts. Uttarakhand has renamed 18 places to "preserve Indian culture and heritage," as they claim.

Recently, there was a drug haul worth Rs 1800 crore off the Gujarat coast. This is not the first time. Why has the bulldozer not been successful in preventing such abuses? Rich Gujarati folk are partners in the big game with awesome profits. When one haul is caught, twenty go unnoticed. In the meantime, their economy takes advantage of unorganised labour, especially since migrants are vulnerable. Exploitation of 'forced labour' continues. Reports say 12,760 'bonded labourers' have been rescued between 2016 and 2021 in the country. But hundreds of thousands remain. This is the culture that must be bulldozed. Will Modis and Adanis consent?

We know that "Truth topples regimes." Whether it happens or not, the truth must be told. We are not interested in toppling regimes but correcting wrong attitudes to life and to each other. We want to rescue the nation from fragmentation.