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| Ram Madhav is not the most suave or scholarly of the RSS leaders. But he is a true believer and endlessly combative. (Video below) |
The concluding episode of Al Jazeera’s flagship show turned out to be its most gripping.
Titled Is Modi's India flirting with fascism? Head to Head took aim at the phenomenal rise of Hindutva nationalism in India.
It had the articulate host Mehdi Hasan; a panel of three - Dr Nitasha Kaul, Dr Gautam Sen and Mehboob Khan - two of whom were opposed to Hindutva. It had a diverse audience, by and large, disposed against RSS ideology.
And there was Ram Madhav, former RSS spokesperson who is on loan to BJP as General Secretary.
If you don’t like RSS, the show had all the questions you always wanted to ask the Hindutva fountain head: From the immediate – Dadri lynching -- to the big picture – place of minorities in India.
Ram Madhav is not the most suave or scholarly of the RSS leaders. But he is a true believer and endlessly combative.
He disowned the indefensible, tried to make right noise before an international audience. But there was too much of a missionary in him to sit on the fence.
Yes, Taj Mahal was creation of a Hindu culture, Mughals were occupiers, minorities need the goodwill of majority to survive, there was nothing wrong in Modi’s puppy comment.
He did get flustered even nervous occasionally, but took all questions on his chin.