Opinion | We must reclaim our nationalism from the clutches of pseudo-patriots, writes Barkha Dutt

We live in the age of the mob. Self-styled policemen of patriotism patrol our social media posts and navigate the imagined interiors of our minds to see if we pass or fail tests set by them. Television anchors — who have never known the grief of funerals, never seen the sight of either blood or bodies and have never reported from any conflict or war zone — pompously hand out certificates of nationalist and anti-national every night.

Right wing thugs thrash poor Kashmiri vendors on the streets of Lucknow. On Twitter, their more upscale versions threaten and smear those who dare to bring nuance into any conversation. I experienced this personally. For suggesting that those turning on innocent Kashmiri students were only playing into the hands of Pakistan — and for offering to help stranded Kashmiris — I was targeted in a coordinated mob attack with more than a thousand calls, nude photographs and death threats.

This coarseness is vile. If anyone is anti-national, it is these bullies and goons. They are not nationalists; they are pseudo-patriots. I would even say that, by their own definition, they are traitors. This is because nothing suits the Pakistani script more than Indian citizens quarrelling among themselves.

We must ask ourselves how we got to this point. How did this brute, ugly, bully’s rulebook come to define how we see ourselves and each other? There is so much talk of reclaiming Hinduism from Hindutva. Even more crucial is the need to reclaim nationalism from pseudo-patriots.

Unfortunately, several of my liberal friends, especially those on the Left of the spectrum, don’t get how important this is. They appear embarrassed by any visible displays of loyalty to the Indian State or any overt manifestations of patriotic sentiment. They deconstruct nationalism in an elite, academic and clinical way that is still rooted in European history instead of the homegrown constitutional patriotism of our own freedom movement. With its disavowal of or discomfort with the idea of the nation, the Left has vacated the entire space for the Right to define nationalism in the manner it chooses. The dogma of the Left has given rise to the Right and this crude playbook of patriotism.

Recently, I was under attack from a few liberal colleagues for openly identifying as an “Indian” journalist in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent Balakot airstrike. Some colleagues criticised me for my admiration of the courage of young Indian Air Force pilots who were part of the operations. Others objected to my argument that the Indian assault on a terror base in Pakistan after Pulwama was about justice and not war. Ironically, in the same week that the Left called me a warmonger, the right wing has continued to question my nationalism for my position that India should be tough with Pakistan but sensitive with its own people in Kashmir.

My argument with the venerable voices of the liberal-Left made me realise how woefully out of touch they are with the larger sentiment in India.

First, the Indian State and the Indian government are not interchangeable entities. I can — and do — applaud the courage of young soldiers and wing commanders without losing the right (and duty) to interrogate the ruling party.

Second, how can one not understand and reflect on the deep-seated anger at relentless terror attacks patronised by Pakistan’s deep State? This does not stop me — or anyone else — from asking for more effective and transparent communication from the government; or from objecting to soldiers being used as material for vote gathering. And one can feel deeply for war veterans and the honour of the uniform ( I do) while simultaneously calling out flaws in the domestic Kashmir policy (I do). That is why some of the wisest words on the situation in Kashmir have come from generals who have served in the Valley, including the officers who led the first surgical strikes in 2016.

America, the most liberal of nations, is an instructive example. Whatever else the Democrats and Republicans argue over, patriotism is not a point of disagreement. Former US President Barack Obama, a beloved of liberals, took out Osama bin Laden from inside Pakistan in a widely acclaimed operation. He was not called a war monger; nor were journalists who admired the skill of the US Navy Seals.

Jack Tapper, a fiercely independent and much admired CNN anchor, doesn’t hide his affiliation with the American State (not the government.). In fact, he personally runs fund-raising drives for military veterans calling for his viewers to “give back”. Two politicians, who are opposed to the BJP, but get this are Yogendra Yadav and Asaduddin Owaisi. Both of them, in different ways, have venerated the constitutional patriotism represented by India’s freedom fighters.

Lofty commentary by several Left commentators has been mocking and oversimplistic. If those who otherwise talk non-stop about preserving the “idea of India” mock the sentiment people feel for India, they caricature themselves and do liberalism a disservice.

We, the people, need to reclaim our nationalism — as much from the right wing’s policing as the Left wing’s sneering.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal