ADHM row: Why Fadnavis was wrong in brokering a deal between MNS and Karan Johar

In the book Maxims of Chanakya: Kautilya, KV Subramaniam explains what Chanakya thought was the attribute of a great ruler. He writes, "The ideal ruler, according to Chanakya, should have absolute mastery over himself and pre-eminent in virtue." Chanakya said, "If rulers are righteous, people are righteous, if they are sinners, people are also sinners, like ruler, like people... A ruler with character can render even unendowed people happy. A characterless ruler destroys loyal and prosperous people’’. Chanakya observed, "Disrespect shown to good people and encouragement of the unrighteous… encouragement  of vice and discouragement of virtue, not punishing the guilty and severely punishing the innocent...” cause massive discontentment among masses.

The reason for invoking an ancient philosopher and the wisdom he espoused is due to the impunity with which political opportunism is trampling good sense in modern-day Maharashtra. Using the bogey of nationalism as a fig leaf, a fledgling parochial party is trying to come back into relevance by speaking the language of covert threats and violence and the rulers of our times have completely abdicated their duty by not acting decisively against them. To ensure that his movie is released without a problem, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director and producer Karan Johar has decided to pay Rs 5 crore to the army relief fund. According to Mukesh Bhatt, the donation is voluntary. But the subsequent diktat from MNS that anyone who has used Pakistani artistes in their films needs to pay Rs 5 crore to the army fund gives away the game. It is extortion by another name— flexing muscles by coercing hapless producers to cough up money just before the release of their movie, at a time when they are most vulnerable, and dragging the name of the great institution of the Indian Army into it.

But what is most abominable in the entire saga is the role of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. He mediated ‘peace’ between Karan Johar and Raj Thackeray in a meeting that decided the exact worth of patriotism. Rather than acting firm, like Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had promised and the previous state government had shown during the release of Johar’s My Name is Khan in 2010, Fadnavis took the easy way out of moral abdication. He let the bullies win by letting them use the patriotism card. Fadnavis could have acted tough, making it clear that the state machinery will firmly back ADHM, but his contradictory action has now set a bad precedent for the future.

In India, where outrage sells cheaper than popcorn, every other fringe group can try to extort money or political leverage by blackmailing artistes under virtually any pretext. Many believe it is a clever ploy by the BJP to prop up MNS to keep the Shiv Sena under pressure. The strategy is diabolical, even if there are shreds of truth in it.

As a mainstream national party trying to become the default party for good governance, BJP needs to show better judgement. A party with a narrow, sectarian belief system and violence as its language for discourse shouldn’t be given any oxygen by BJP. And, here, as much as Fadnavis is responsible for failure to show spine, the BJP central leadership also cannot be excluded from sharing guilt. Slogans like 'na khaunga, na khane dunga', Ease of Doing Business and Make in India can’t be successful if a suitable atmosphere is not created where the arts and trade can flourish unhindered. An aspiring superpower can’t be seen showing signs of weakness, that too in its commercial capital, to ‘leaders’ who don’t even have the mandate of the people behind them. Democracy can’t be held hostage to goons and strong leaders ought to do more to make people believe in the system, rather than cause more aversion.

It is not that leaders haven’t cowed down to irrational demands before or haven’t sacrificed the arts at the altar of political opportunism. But becoming a brazen conduit to what can be only described as patriotism at gunpoint is probably the first time. Therein lies the failure of Devendra Fadnavis, who is known to be a good and affable man in real life. To quote Chanakya, "It is not enough for ruler to have good character. He must be well-versed in various sciences of State”.

The dark night may have only just begun.