The recent events at Charlottesville, is an indicator of the emergence of the Far Right, a section of people known for their views which are tangential to the ones mainstream. This is not just an isolated incident. Right from the stupendous victory of Mr Modi in 2014, to Brexit, and Trumpistaan, the world has seen an increase in protectionism, chest thumping Nationalism, hyper aggressive attitudes to certain ideas which support the fact that they have been “marginalized”.
Perhaps, one may think that this is a sudden phenomenon, but this has been brewing right from time immemorial. When one group feels that they haven’t been given equal access to voice out their opinion, often they rise up, causing a upheave in the social order
Take India for example. It is a well known secret that major news outlets, have always tilted towards Left, and the successive governments always shaped the narratives in such a way that it suited the conveniences, in order to gain political benefits. The one often misused word in the Indian Political Lexicon, is the word Secularism. In it’s purest form, it means, absence of religion from state. It is perhaps the most potent word, which keeps India from turning into a majoritarian state . And that is to be praised, because, we can proudly claim that our nation is one, where people of different faiths can coexist peacefully.
But the word itself lost meaning, thanks to a leader in the 1980’s who overturned a momentous decision, made in the Supreme Court, granting equal alimony, just because it offended a certain section of people, who wanted to follow their own personal laws, rather than constitutional laws. After a year, all hell broke loose due to the vicious riots which happened in the early 1990’s. The word Secularism thus lost it’s meaning, and political parties abuse it to gain votes.
Thus with the monopoly on the Media, the Politicians, began to gather votes, by perpetuating an identity/ existential crisis on communities, thus ensuring vote bank politics. Thus led to the rise of the far right, which then began to distort the realities, by claiming that the minorities gained far more than what the majority gained.
Perhaps, if People hadn’t been so short minded, and if care had been taken to include the moderate and genuine voices from both Left Right, we wouldn’t be facing the acts of the fringes.