Just like Physics, Caste and Religion have Particle-Wave duality in classical Indian Politics. They are separate, they are represented in symbols of “Mandal” and “Kamandal”. None of the political parties can ever dare to ride both these elements together to meet its objectives.
Look back over your shoulders and you will find Congress, SP, BSP, RJD, DMK, JDU etc. playing caste and pseudo-secular politics while BJP rode on the plank of Religion and in public imagination was always considered a Brahmin-Baniya party, alledgedly unmindful of others caste groups.
Those who ventured to shift from one group to another, getting transformed from Wave to Particle had to succumb to the reality of the new group and take the entire charecterstics of Particle and shed that of Wave. An apt example to cite would be Shiv Sena. A hardliner Hindutva-Wave party transforming into pseudo-secular particle traits.
But as it happened in Physics, with the dawn of new leaders, new emerging circumstances and new revelations, the Classical politics is upturned and “Quantum Politics” is born. When the new leadership in BJP (Modi-Shah) believed not in the Caste-Religion duality but a super-position, pivot of politics in India changed and the established warlords of yesteryears found themselves at the cusp of existential crisis.
This Quantum Politics is a very unique experiment in Indian politics. Till the time there is no keen observer, it may appear as a Hindutva-Wave, but when an observer is placed to look closely, the Wave transforms into Caste-Particle. This super-position state of Caste-Religion in the Quantum Politics of BJP may look decieving at times, may appear to be chaotic but it is systematic and has a deliberate design to fight today’s challenges and gain power. There is strength in this design but it also has its weaknesses.
The problem of Hindu society and politics is that it is divided from within but also faces a massive challenge from Islamists who with their separate identity, separate co-existence pose a long term threat to this Nation-state. The Classical Politicians have always, in the name of pseudo Social justice and Secularism emboldened the Islamists and helped sustain the mindset of separateness. The Quantum politicians, by super-positioning Caste and Religion tried to gain power and contain that menace.
But, this is where their design put them into a compromising position. Though the new age politicians have learnt the art of Quantum politics, the bulk of its vocal supporters still view Indian society and politics from Classical Politics perspective. Its like Einsteen seeking new converts from Newtonian zealots. These zealots always believed in the Hindutva-Wave and thought that this wave does not carry the caste-particles. Therefore, they are unable to see how Quantum politics deploys Wave and Particle, Religion and Politics, with utmost precision in political realm depending upon the situation.
The zealots only know that in double slit experiment of politics, Caste and Religion Particles move across only one or the other slit. They are sitting along only that slit which they cherish, unmindful of the fact that in Quantum politics the same Caste-Religion particle, transforming into a wave, can move across both the slits simultaneaously. Every Social Justice endeavour has the potential to strengthen the Hindutva-wave. If this is lost on the zealots then this design of Hindutva fails miserably. Confusion arises in the minds of zealots and they start cherishing the bygone prophets and disowning the new messiahas.
The criticality of Quantum politics lay not only in the hands of its protagonist, the Leader, but also in the nuanced understanding of its followers. And once they fail in this endeavour, the empire is doomed.
As they call it, in the webseries “Foundation”, that the pyschohistory tells us like all previous empires, this too will fail. And once the monument crushes down, you will be crushed under its weight.
Note:
“Politics have other vectors as well, which has not been dealt with here in this article. It focusses mainly on the macro-view of India’s current politics.”