In the English language, there is the word “Whataboutery”. The literal meaning of the word is “the technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue”. Whataboutism is when a critical question or argument is not answered or discussed, but retorted with a critical counter-question which expresses a counter-accusation. From a logical and argumentative point-of-view, it is considered a variant of the tu-quoque pattern (Latin ‘you too’, a term for a counter-accusation).
As a specific example, consider the following scenario where Person A and Person B just left a store.
Person A: "You took that item without paying for it. What you did is morally wrong!"
Here, X is the statement: "Stealing from a store is morally wrong." Person A is asserting that statement X is true.
Person B: "So what? I remember when you once did the same thing. You didn't think it was wrong and neither is this."
Person B claims that Person A is a hypocrite because Person A once committed this same action.
Person B has argued that because Person A is a hypocrite, he does not have a right to pass sentences on others before judging himself.
Sangh-BJP Parivaar is using their ideas in the “Use & Throw” style, throwing them to the garbage bin in bulk after a single use. Sangh-BJP ideas and ideologies are for a single use before the election, after winning an election, they throw them into the bin. For this, even their important books and booklets are being removed in bulk. There are thousands of books in BJP’s e-library. But there is not a single book by Dr Hedgewar, Guru Golwalkar, Nana Palkar, H.V. Seshadri, Gurudatta, or Acharya Raghuveer. The writings of our most important, thoughtful leaders, founders, party presidents and scholars were discarded. They were not ordinary books. Earlier they were translated and published in many languages. Now, most books are disappearing.
It is a strange sight over the years that on one hand, the BJP talks about a “Congress-Mukt Bharat”, but on the other hand, the Congress itself appears to be the ideal that is perched on its head. As if BJP has to copy Congress in every situation, in everything! Not only in thoughts and actions but in all things, expressions, symbolisms, excuses, etc.
In the Adani episode, the first argument was “what was the Congress’s relationship with Ambani?”. When questions are raised about the policy towards China, there is an uproar of ‘What did Nehru do?’ Similarly, Dalit-love, “Give Freebies-Get Votes” schemes, Placing the names of party leaders on public buildings, roads, institutions, schemes, etc.; Party propaganda by misappropriating state funds; AndhBhakti; Refusal to reveal sources of party donations amounting to organized corruption; regular defections; misuse of institutions; Wrapping up and harassing the opposition leaders selectively; partisan appointments to important posts; etcetera. BJP-Sangh Parivar is copying Congress in every step of their everyday practices.
Whenever allegations are levelled against BJP leaders of any misbehaviour, bad language, dictatorship, familism, etc., the bulk answer to all those accusations is ‘what did the Congress do’. A few days ago, someone wrote an article, “Rahul Gandhi is repeatedly complaining that all the institutions of democracy have been captured by the people of BJP and RSS. He is forgetting that when Congress was in power, these institutions were controlled by its people. Just like Congress made its people sit in various institutions when it was in power, the BJP is doing the same, so what is wrong with it?”
On every issue whether small or big, instead of providing a clear perspective and giving one’s position, hiding behind the examples of others is a shameful act. Nowadays, BJP-Sangh is doing that Shamelessly.
If Congress is the criterion of every work, policy ethical or unethical, then clearly –
(1) ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ was a fake slogan,
(2) The entire politics of the Sangh Parivar in the last decades was a hoax.
Because from the time of Jansangh till the initial fifteen years of BJP, the main propaganda of their leaders was opposition to Muslim appeasement, demand for Swadeshi-Indianness, and transparency in politics. Advani’s claim of a ‘Party with a Difference’ impressed a lot of middle-class people. But today the BJP has left the Congress far behind in precisely appeasement, foreign-orientedness, and Secrecy in everything. Sangh-BJP proudly says that the Congress had duped the Muslims, while they are giving them a lot of everything, be it property, resources, reservations or extra benefits in administrative appointments etc.
In fact, no party has deviated from its original slogans and objectives like the BJP and the RSS have. This is not discussed because the BJP has adopted exactly the Congress-Leftist-casteist ideas. Since these three can give an ideological challenge at the national level, they do not say that the BJP has adopted their views! Even today they are condemning BJP as the same old ‘Hindu-Communal’, ‘Anti-Muslim’ etc. Whereas no one can prove those accusations against BJP. In the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress, the same clichéd propaganda was prominent, in which many secular, leftist dignitaries were involved. They all know that they cannot prove what they are claiming, i.e. BJP is ‘Hindu-Communal’ and ‘Anti-Muslim’. Then also they are claiming these just to be there with their ideology.
The irony is that this false propaganda on the contrary benefits the BJP. Due to this, BJP’s Hinduist Image (and only Image) remains. While it is putting immense resources to penetrate the base of Muslim, Christian and casteist parties leaving Hindu interests at bay. In this way, there is no party to accuse the BJP of betraying Hindu society. Whereas this is the actual position of the BJP today.
However, none of the Congress, Communists, Socialists, DMK, TMC etc. has turned their back on their basic ideas, principles, etc. like this. Even when some of its senior leaders expressed the need to come out of the ‘pro-Muslim’ image of the party, the Congress, on the contrary, has publicly reprimanded even its senior most leaders when they do or say anything that deviates from the traditional view of the Congress. Even former President Pranab Mukherjee was criticized by Congress when he went to an RSS function. That is, Congress has stuck to its core ideas, even at the leadership level. No matter how many jokes are made about them.
But the Sangh Parivar ignored the thoughts and feelings of its founders, former Sarsanghchalaks and presidents and declared the same Pranab Mukherjee as their guide. BJP earned votes for the last thirty years by cursing Mulayam Singh but now has no hesitation in showing him as the national ideal. Surprisingly, the new-age voters/supporters of BJP-Sangh do not feel hurt when it is seen how far their leaders have gone from the basic beliefs and declared pledges of their organization or party.
Looking at the current strength of the Sangh-BJP, it seems clear that this is happening deliberately. No other organization or party in India has turned away from its ideological loyalty like this ever before.
