Dr. Vikram SIngh
After the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the entire country appeared united against terrorism. This unity in the face of terror is indeed a positive sign for any nation. However, what’s concerning is the strange surge of war frenzy that accompanied it. This can be better understood through two incidents.
On April 22, following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the most widely circulated image on social media and television was of Himanshi, the wife of the slain Navy officer Vinay Narwal. People shared this image with various emotions-most expressed sympathy and called for action against terrorism. However, some individuals, mostly supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), used this image as a hate campaign against Muslim minority.
Overall, it seemed as though the entire country stood with Himanshi. But by May 1, the situation changed drastically. The same Himanshi who was a national symbol of grief and strength became the target of social media trolling and hate. People began spewing venom against her. The only fault she made was that during a blood donation camp in Kamal (Haryana), held on her late husband’s birthday, she made a heartfelt appeal, “I don’t want hatred against anyone. That’s what’s happening; people are turning against Muslims and Kashmiris. We don’t want that. We want peace, and only peace. Of course, we want justice. Those who wronged him must be punished.”
Around the same time, another figure appeared regularly on TV calm, bal anced, and deliberate in tone-informing the country of the ground realities. This was Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Without any sensationalism, he shared the Government’s view on conflict with the public. But when he announced the Government’s decision of ceasefire between India and Pakistan, he too became a target of hate-filled warmongering trolls. According to media reports, Misri was labeled a “traitor” on social media. His daughters were not spared either, their personal information, including phone numbers, was leaked online.
This didn’t happen spontaneously. Those hailed as national heroes were suddenly vilified and subjected to online abuse, especially by segments of the virtual population steeped in hate. This is the result of a decade of BJP and Hindutva rule. Their politics of hatred has cultivated a psychology in a large section of society that glorifies hate and war. But such an environment spirals out of control. This is a dangerous situation, and it is exactly what is happening in India today.
For decades, BJP and the RSS have systematically used their propaganda machinery to reshape society. Once in power, they used state mechanisms to cultivate hatred, violence, and war frenzy for political ends. However, governing a country and peddling hate are two very different things.
Following the Pahalgam incident, after four days of military confrontation, the Government had to announce a ceasefire for various reasons. Yet, this essential decision was harshly criticized by fanatic groups, and a campaign was launched in favor of war. The very atmosphere that the Government and media had fostered resulted in the ceasefire being labelled a sign of national weakness. The air was thick with war fever, where humanity seems absent. People displayed fake bravado from behind phones and computers, but showed no empathy for victims of conflict.
Even amid this crisis, hatred was spread along religious lines. Though the BJP and RSS often act as if they have a monopoly over patriotism and the military, a BJP minister stooped so low as to call Colonel Sophia Qureshi- an Indian Army officer- a “sister of terrorists” simply because of her faith. The court had to intervene, yet the party shamelessly defended the accused minister.
The primary aim here is not to delve into that specific incident. Instead, it aims to explore how a toxic, warmongering atmosphere has engulfed the country-so much so that even the BJP, which created it, is now threatened by it. Things have become so dire that not only ordinary citizens, but even so-called progressive elites are afraid to take a principled position against war.
An environment was created where supporting war became the benchmark for patriotism. This was fuelled not just by Hindutva forces, but also by fear of their violence and hate campaigns.
India has a rich tradition of anti-war voices. Students and youth movements, in particular, have long been vocal about the human cost of war. But this time, many among them were frenziedly calling for war. An environment was created where supporting war became the benchmark for patriotism. This was fuelled not just by Hindutva forces, but also by fear of their violence and hate campaigns.
When leftist forces fearlessly opposed terrorism while also presenting their principled opposition to war, some self-proclaimed progressive intellectuals began spewing venom against them instead. These attacks had no logical or principled basis-they merely relied on long-standing biases and the images constructed by ruling elites. This is nothing new. The Left and progressive forces have often faced such attacks.
It is important to clarify that the fight against terrorism is crucial, and we support it. Terrorists don’t represent any religion-they can belong to any faith. They neither represent any nation nor are loyal to any nation. The terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack fall into this category. Regardless of where they come from, we must fight them resolutely, and public unity is vital in this battle.
In this regard, even the local people of Pahalgam and Kashmir defeated the terrorists’ goals. Through their humanitarian assistance to the victims, they struck a major blow to terrorism and sent a message to communal hate gangs: when any citizen of this country is attacked, the entire country feels the pain.
Another critical aspect of the anti-terror fight is national security. Coordination among all defence, police, and intelligence agencies is essential. Intelligence agencies, in particular, play a crucial role. Even a minor lapse can lead to major attacks. In this context, political will and dialogue also matter. But discussing whether there was an intelligence failure in the Pahalgam incident is now practically considered an act of treason.
Some liberal critics tried to undermine the Left’s position with a flawed argument: “If the Left says war benefits the arms trade, why did U.S. President Donald Trump help broker peace between India and Pakistan?” Before addressing this, let us reaffirm that stopping the war was absolutely necessary and every effort to do so was warranted. However, accepting U.S. imperialist mediation is not acceptable.
India has a proud history of anti-imperialist struggle. The Indian people never approved of U.S. mediation. We have faced imperialist exploitation and made sacrifices against it. Anti-imperialism is a core tenet of our patriotism. Trump’s repeated claims of intervening in the conflict, without strong denials from our government, are troubling. It reflects a political defeat. Until now, India had never accepted third-party mediation-especially not from the U.S.-on the Kashmir issue.
It’s also worth mentioning that the U.S. is notorious for unjust military interventions worldwide. In the ongoing Israeli genocidal war, the U.S. bears equal responsibility for the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Let’s come back to our understanding of war. We believe every war has a class character and affects different classes of society differently. Fundamentally, the ruling class always exploits war for its own gain. History shows that ruling elites have used war to escape economic crises, profiting immensely through arms sales. What is a humanitarian disaster for the masses becomes a business opportunity for corporate entities.
This is evident by the rise and dip in the shares of companies engaged in armed production. For instance, after Reuters reported that a French Rafale jet (now part of the Indian Air Force) was shot down, Dassault Aviation’s shares fell by 3.3%-from $373.8 to $362.05. At the same time, shares of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which manufactures the J-10C and J-17 jets used by Pakistan, rose by 30%. Clearly, the global arms industry operates on a purely profit-driven logic.
On the other hand, common people get only pain and suffering from war. Families of fallen soldiers and those who live in the border villages understand its true cost. Those displaced by war often take years to rebuild their lives.
That’s just one aspect. We believe the ruling class starts wars for profit-but it can also stop them for the same reason. This is why the U.S. might push for peace in Asia while supporting genocidal war in Palestine. On the other hand, common people get only pain and suffering from war. Families of fallen soldiers and those who live in the border villages understand its true cost. Those displaced by war often take years to rebuild their lives. Workers lose their livelihoods and public issues vanish from political discourse while the media, as usual, ignores them altogether.
In conclusion, it can be said that the BJP/RSS’s calculated politics has escalated war hysteria to such an extent that even progressive voices are now afraid to speak of peace. India is going through a crisis in which speaking the language of war is seen as patriotism, and speaking of peace is branded as treason.
The hate-based politics of BJP and RSS has created a climate of fear not just among the masses but even among intellectuals and progressives, making them hesitant to advocate for peace and reason. Yet it is essential to remember; the heaviest burden of war is borne by the working class, the families of soldiers, and ordinary civilians. Meanwhile, profits go to the arms industry and ruling elites.
In such a time, when so-called nationalism is equated with hate, violence, and war, speaking of peace and humanity is the real courage and the true patriotism. It is the duty of India’s progressive people to rise fearlessly against this war frenzy and stand firm for peace, democracy, and the public interest.
Dr. Vikram Singh is the Joint Secretary of the All India Agricultural Workers Union.