Opinion | Soft Hindutva, Hard Double Standards: The Kerala Story

The real test for both LDF and UDF is not how convincingly they can invoke secularism or condemn Hindutva, but whether they can apply the same standards to everyone

One of the principal charges that the Left has consistently levelled against the Indian National Congress is that the party practises “Soft Hindutva". Any gesture rooted in India’s cultural traditions, when made by a Congress leader, is readily cited as evidence of the party’s supposed pro-Hindu shift. Lighting a ceremonial lamp, offering a simple prayer, tying a sacred thread around the wrist, or paying a visit to a temple, even the most ordinary and culturally rooted acts have, at times, been cited in Left circles as evidence of the Congress’s supposed “Soft Hindutva" turn.

In a state like Kerala, where deeply entrenched Left ideology has long shaped public discourse, vocal and explicit criticism of Hindu beliefs and practices is often regarded as proof of one’s secular credentials. One can still find numerous Facebook handles that openly proclaim their hatred of Hinduism in their Facebook bio, wearing it almost as a badge of honour and presenting it as evidence of their uncompromising commitment to Dalit politics or anti-Hindutva politics. It is in this milieu that the Left’s charge of “Soft Hindutva" against the Congress has been advanced with even greater vigour.

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One of the principal reasons for the Left’s electoral setbacks in recent years has been precisely this tendency to target the Hindu belief system. From the stand it adopted on the Sabarimala issue to its frequent ridicule of Hindu beliefs and practices, the party came to be seen by many as displaying a persistent and often unwarranted hostility towards Hindu traditions. That perception has proved politically costly. The Left eventually recognised the political cost of this approach and attempted to recalibrate its image in the run-up to the last assembly elections. By then, however, it was too little, too late. Many voters saw the shift not as a genuine change of conviction, but as a transparent electoral manoeuvre. The attempt to course-correct came across as both unconvincing and insincere.

As noted earlier, alongside what many perceived as the normalisation of hate speech directed at one particular religion, in Kerala, the Left also sought to brand the Congress as a party that practised “Soft Hindutva". The Congress was routinely portrayed as a party that was unduly accommodating of Hindutva and excessively receptive to its demands. Not just the personal histories of Congress leaders, but even their family backgrounds came under scrutiny, seemingly in search of any pretext on which they could be branded as concealed proponents of Hindutva. Time and again, prominent leaders........

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