Renowned filmmaker and author of ‘Urban Naxals’ Vivek Agnihotri speaks to Organiser
Congratulations for the fantastic book on ‘Urban Naxals’. There is a lot of talk about this phenomenon, especially after the recent arrests in Bhima-Koregaon case. How would you define an Urban Naxal?
Thanks for your kind words. Yes, it gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness that finally our efforts are paying off. First, all academics, political thinkers and masses have accepted the ‘Urban Naxals’ indeed exist and, secondly, that ‘Urban Naxalism’ indeed is India’s biggest security threat. It took me 8 years to spread the message. In India, to stand on the side of truth demands lot of sacrifice, isolation and humiliation. But all that is worth it since there is a massive crackdown and dilution of these enemies of India since the book was launched.
Who is an Urban Naxal? Well. It’s not as difficult as it may seem to identify an Urban Naxal. They are mostly invisible and are mixed in crowd. Anyone can be a naxal. You may feel secure that your child is with his professor for tuition but what he is learning is Urban Naxalism. They use doubt as a weapon to create confusion and chaos.
Is there any way one can identify this invisible enemy around us?
First, anyone who is not willing to give any space to Hindu civilisation has an agenda. Why would anyone resist the world’s oldest civilisation. How many civilisations have survived? Why would anyone not want to preserve this great civilisation? Very often we make the mistake of ignoring them assuming perhaps, they don’t know. In fact, they do know because they are working on a paid agenda of breaking up Hindu society. Second, legal activism. Anyone who is involved in anti-development or unnecessary compassion to the enemies of India. Students, labour, media, intelligentsia, NGOs, academia… almost every influencer can be an Urban Naxal funded by the blood money from Bastar.
How are the urban naxals different from the naxalites who are fighting an armed struggle in forests?
There is no difference. Both are working towards the same objective of destroying the state of India. One is working with guns to extort and kill and the other, in cities, is furthering the same objective by using citizen’s minds as weapons.
What is the modus-operandi of these Urban Naxals? How do they manage to do their operations discrete?
Mostly they hide in the garb of intellectuals, media people, research scholars, activists, NGOs… the list is long. It is very difficult to identify them. You may think they have a contrarian point of view but that is their agenda. In the book I have explained in detail. They want to break the Hindu society and create an Islamic-Dalit block which is very dangerous.
When was the first time that you realised that there is an intellectual support system that exists in the urban area?
In 2011 while researching for the film Buddha In A Traffic Jam. I could see a clear pattern. They operate like Sicilian mafia. They are all interconnected yet, you catch one Urban Naxal and he is immediately cut off from both sides of the chain. If any government makes it a mission to finish them off in a time bound manner, then only we can trap them.
Many people think that with the decline of Marxism and shrinking of Communist parties in India, revolutionary zeal is gone. What is the ideological basis of this Neo-Communists or Urban Naxals?
I don’t agree. They are everywhere. They are so well mixed in the society that it’s very difficult to find them. They have the power in bureaucracy, police, local administration, media, universities, policy…. They rule our minds. Whichever party comes in power, they will rule the system. And all this is the doing of Congress which installed these enemies in all ‘heartbeat’ institutions of India.
It is clear that Urban Naxals do not believe in any democracy. How do they manage to build their narrative around democratic rights?
India is primarily a Hindu civilisation. Plural, diverse and liberal. We don’t have genuine Left and Right Wings. So, I believe the only side one should be is on the side of the Constitution. Urban Naxals talk about the Constitution but they are the last people to respect the Constitution. The Additional Solicitor General of India told me that he is convinced that Urban Naxals are anti-constitution.
Are we heading for unseen revolution? (The incidents like Bhima-Koregaon, KisanMarch, Sterlite violence, Jallikattu agitation etc. suggest so)
I have been screaming that they are up to something very sinister, very dangerous. I am very scared about the Dalit politics. It has nothing to do with poor Dalits. Every corrupt and anti-national is hiding behind it. And they will use Dalits as a shield to wage a war against India. First, intellectually, then with civil unrest. And then bloodbath.
Why is this phenomenon of Urban Naxals more visible now?
It’ more visible because an army of youngsters are behind me and they are exposing them regularly. It’s not that they have become more visible, they are getting more exposed. With each article like yours, we expose them more. Right now the need is to create awareness about this looming danger.
What are the ways we can fight this enemy of the humanity?
By making our society stronger. By celebrating the diversity, plurality and total acceptance of Hindu civilisation. By bringing out facts and figures. By pursuing the evidence. I constantly keep doing it, which many of my followers and partners expand. Intellectual wars of narratives can be won only with intellectual counter-strategy. Write more books. Make documentaries. Do special editions. Organise literary events, Defeat them with their own strategy.
Courtesy: Organiser
