BJP earns right-wing's ire over Nupur Sharma controversy

The Nupur Sharma episode has driven a chasm within right-wing supporters, with a significant section decrying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s position on the issue.

The BJP, now perceived as the liberal entity among right-wing organisations, garnered a fair amount of hate within the ecosystem. Sharma’s suspension is the newest flashpoint between traditionalists and those comparatively liberal within the ecosystem.

Leaders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as well as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that DH spoke to, both young and old, said that the BJP’s position is unfortunate and they were disappointed that they were “pandering” to Islamic countries.

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“The BJP’s position on the issue has no doubt made it unpopular, and rightly so; it is understood that they have political decisions to take, but this is not the first issue where differences have crept up, and this is not the last,” a leader from the RSS said. What remained non-negotiable, however, is the political support of the BJP.

One of the first such developments, in which the BJP has faced resentment within the ecosystem, was the Bulli Bai episode. This was an instance when the differences within the right-wing ecosystem, divided broadly into two categories known as Trads and Raytas online, were out in the open.

Trads is the shortened name for Traditionalists, those who believe in the caste system, and other rigid Hindu norms. Raytas, also known as Vikas Right, are those who are liberal in the ecosystem.

A writer with a right-wing portal said that there is deep resentment against the government over issues like the farm law protests and the ensuing protests on Republic Day last year where protestors reached the Red Fort. The violence in Bengal against BJP workers and supporters is also another bone of contention.

In the Nupur Sharma episode, disappointment against the BJP led to a lot of public outbursts, and in a Twitter trend #ShamelessBJP, which ran for days at a stretch, tweets were sent out by the Right Wing supporters as much as by those from outside the ecosystem.

Vinod Bansal of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad said that the anger against BJP is palpable. “Since it is the decision of the BJP, we cannot intervene. But what we think is clear is that what she said on the channel was that she read a section of scripture. Those who believe that was defamatory should either apologise or remove the section from the scriptures,” he said.

A senior BJP leader, however, welcomed the criticisms and said that these divergent views are the rite of passage for a party “expanding its political worldview”.

“There’s a multitude of opinions within the ecosystem. And the party has its positions, and the government has its positions. We allow for these differing opinions as opposed to regimented opinions. There were earlier instances also were divergent views have emerged,” the national leader, who heads a department, told DH.

The leader added that the BJP, in fact, welcomes these views. “It is healthy that these differences are coming from the same spectrum. This also shows that the party has expanded so much that it can allow differing opinions. This is also because the alternate view is nowhere to be seen,” the leader said.