24/08/2026
📕📗📙📚📖. 📕📗📘📔📖. 📕📗📘📔📖📢📢📢 .
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While commenting on the recent incident at Jadavpur (At Midnight the BJP RSS goons attacked the students of Jadavpur University) Chief Minister of West Bengal Suvendu babu stated: "The Chief Minister will not compromise with nationalism, statism, and patriotism in this state." (Anandabazar Patrika, 23 August 2026). Knowing this, I am at a loss as to whether I should laugh or cry. Where is the space for "patriotism and nationalism" in the politics that Suvendu babu and his colleagues practice? We know very well that the RSS-BJP—under whose banner Suvendu babu enrolled his name to become the Chief Minister of this state today—never had words like "patriotism" or "nationalism" in their dictionary. They never practiced such trivial matters. Instead, they served the British masters and, at times, partook in the sweetness of power by forming qualition ministries with the Muslim League, a communal Muslim force.
We know that nationalism is a historical creation of mankind. In history, this concept emerged during the struggle against feudalism. In our land, following the path of the Renaissance and during the struggle against the British rule, the concept of "One Nation, One Life, Unity" was born—the essence of which was: "This country is my mother, *Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi* (Mother and motherland are superior to heaven itself); the ultimate fulfillment of human life lies in complete self immolation for this motherland." With this consciousness in their hearts, great martyrs like Kshudiram, Bagha Jatin, Masterda, Pritilata, and Ashfaqullah once sacrificed their lives. Great men like Netaji and Bhagat Singh sacrificed their everything, and thousands of people sacrificed themselves in numerous mass movements, especially the Quit India Movement of 1942. A glorious history was written in this country.
However, the RSS and Syama Prasad, whom Suvendu babu follows, never practiced these ideals. In fact, they opposed them.
We all know that in British-ruled India, the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha never participated in the anti-British freedom struggle. They were friends of the British. In their eyes, figures like Kshudiram and Netaji were traitors. The RSS carefully tried to keep its cadres away from the anti-British struggle at that time. They used to say: "Do not waste your energy fighting against the British. Save all your strength to fight our real enemy—the Muslims."
This is not slander. If Suvendu babu takes the trouble to turn the pages of *Bunch of Thoughts*, written by Guruji and published by the publishing house of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he will find all these gems. A request to Suvendu babu: please take a little trouble.
But it would not be right to leave everything to Suvendu babu's initiative; we must also help him. After coming to power, he swore to establish Syama Prasad as a great man with renewed vigor, even declaring the installation of his 125-foot statue (though the Gujarat BJP government's statue of Vallabhbhai Patel is even taller), and forcibly enforcing the celebration of Syama Prasad's birthday in schools. Does Suvendu babu know Syama Prasad's role in the 1942 Quit India Movement? Regarding the historic Quit India Movement, he wrote in a letter sent to John Herbert:
"I am not saying that the senseless lawlessness and acts of sabotage carried out over the last three months will help our country achieve independence. Let lawlessness be stopped." (*Rashtra Sangramer Ek Adhyay*, Syama Prasad, Bengal Publishers, Kolkata, First Edition, Page 61). That is to say, the August Movement was, in Syama Prasad's eyes, an act of sabotage and lawlessness—not a struggle for independence.
And how was this sabotage and lawlessness to be stopped? In this context, he wrote to John Herbert:
"The question is how to resist this Quit India Movement in Bengal. The administrative machinery in this state must be conducted in such a manner that, despite all efforts, this movement of the Congress cannot take root in the state." (Ibid). This is the sample of patriotism shown by Suvendu babu's idol, Syama Prasad. Does it suit Suvendu babu and his allies, as their followers, to preach about "nationalism" and "patriotism"?
However, it must be admitted that the term "statism" was indeed created by Suvendu babu's genuine predecessors. It is a concept very dear to them. They want it at all costs. Long ago, the Italian fascist thinker Gentile gave birth to this concept of statism. He stated: "The fundamental aspect of fascism is its concept of the state. ... To fascism, the state is absolute, and the individual and groups are subordinate to it. Individuals and groups are tolerated only as long as they serve the interests of the state. In a fascist state, the will of the state is the will of the people. ... The state is not only the present, but also the past and the future. ... The state represents the inherent conscience of the nation. ... The state binds the diverse interests of citizens into a single thread." (*Foreign Affairs*, Vol. 6, No. 2). This is statism. Based on this concept, fascist states were built in Italy and Germany. Observing the nature of those fascist states, all great minds across the world recoiled in horror. They saw that the state built on the foundation of statism was, on one hand, licking the boots of monopoly capitalists in Germany and Italy, and on the other hand, trying to completely destroy the finest achievements of human civilization. We all know what an immense price humanity—especially Soviet socialism under the leadership of Stalin—had to pay to destroy those fascist states in Germany and Italy.
Suvendu babu and his colleagues want to establish that very same fascist state in this country. In our country Moonje laid the foundation of this concept. Afterwards, passing through Hedgewar, Golwalkar, Savarkar, and Syama Prasad, it has now transformed into Modi and Amit Shah. Their job is to serve India's monopoly capital, murder scientific and democratic thought to spread communal ideas, obsess the human mind with Muslim hatred similar to Hitler's anti-Semitism, and destroy all democratic institutions. To achieve this objective, the concept of "statism" is extremely dear to them. This statism means: "Accept whatever Modi does; believe whatever Modi says as absolute truth." Suvendu babu desperately needs this statism to become Chief Minister and sit on the throne of power. That is why he is a devotee of it.
Let Suvendu babu worship this statism—but why should the people of this country do so? The people of this country know that asking questions and seeking answers is human nature. Nothing is above question. One must not bow down to any force—not even to the government or the state. They know that following historical law, a specific state emerges, and following historical law, it comes to an end. In this manner, through the destruction of the old feudal state, the French Revolution emerged based on the concept of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The democratic state was born. Again, following the path of development, this democratic state will also fade away, giving birth to a new type of state. Eventually, a day will come when the state itself will cease to exist. This is the law. As a result of this law, history moves forward incessantly, and it will continue to move forward incessantly.
Do insignificant people like Suvendu babu have the power to resist this march of history?
*Sankar Ghosh*
23 August 2026
