Has Vivekananda International Foundation taken over the Modi government

In an editorial  for the Pioneer in September 2007, Surya Prakash , a prominent right wing journalist wrote, "Indians are a deeply religious people and a few non-believers cannot be allowed to disrupt national life through their disparaging comments about religious beliefs. Non-believers are just a handful. The 1991 Census data on religion shows that there were just 1,782 atheists and 101 nastiks in India at that time."

The article which could not be found on the Pioneer website and has been temporarily removed from Prakash’s own website is titled “Prosecute these atheist bullies” and holds a Talibanish view of atheists in the country - a disdainful lot which is a danger to Hinduism. Concluding his arguments in the article citing former CM of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhis remark on Ram Sethu, Surya Prakash asks for invoking Section 153(A) of the Indian penal code against the leader. “Hindus must activate these provisions in the penal law and prosecute Mr Karunanidhi if they wish to keep the faith,”  opines Prakash in the last line, a rather radical view for a man who has been appointed the Prasar Bharti chairman by the government of India a week ago.

Surya Prakash took over for a period of three years from UPA appointee Mrinal Pande who completed her term on April 30 this year. With his appointment, Prakash has added another feather to the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) which has given the present government some of its most significant and strategic appointees.

The Vivekananda International Foundation, the brainchild of present NSA Ajit Doval known for his proximity to the RSS and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has played a fundamental role in the PMO’s foreign policy. None of the VIF member has ever distanced itself from the Sangh, infact in the past many prominent RSS office bearers invited journalists for conversation at Dovals residence cum office in Delhi.

The fact that Vivekananda foundation would shadow run the new government was made obvious when both Nripendra Mishra and PK Mishra from the executive council of VIF were appointed as secretaries to the prime minister. Another RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav known for his close ties with Doval and a key member of VIF wrote editorials on Pakistan and China in a national daily as a precursor to his joining the BJP later in the year.

With the appointment of A Surya Prakash whose candidature is largely being seen as his endorsement of the Sanghs "anti Nehruvian" stand, the hold of the right wing think-tank over the new government is almost complete. Most in the know of affairs suggest that Modis jibe at Nehru and presenting Sardar Patel as a Hindu mascot was part of a well thought of strategy by both the NSA and Prakash who is also the author of a book on Nehru.

In fact his unapologetic stance on the minority community had seen him become one of the Sanghs favoured boys. Many RSS insiders suggested that Surya Prakash's editorial on the demonising of the majority community in 2014 set the tone for the new government.                  

In the article published in the Pioneer titled "No real democracy sans the majority" he wrote, “The 800 million Hindus did not figure in its scheme of things anywhere. Both Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the prime minister persisted with this foolhardy approach throughout the ten years they ran the Union government. Neither of them had a good word for the Hindu civilisation and way of life which had ensured a secular and democratic polity in India after independence. They had just one mantra — minority, minority, minority.”

It is in the context of these views that Surya Prakash’s appointment needs to be seen especially when the prime minister of the country while assuming power promised to uphold the secular nature of India's constitution. But one look at the body of work collated in the new Prasar Bharti chiefs website indicates that he clearly is not the best candidate for heading a body which is responsible for relaying news and views to the country on which it shall base its opinion.

With most of his acerbic articles on “Secularism and Pseudo Secularism” now deleted or unavailable, the titles available indicate a grim future for the Prasar Bharti. Ranging from "Hussain must not get away" to "Throw out the Sachar report" and "Secular India Muslim veto" the views of Surya Prakash stand in contradiction to the vision and mission enshrined in the rulebook of the government board. The Prasar Bharti website in its mission states the commitment of the body to

1) To uphold the unity and integrity of the country and the values enshrined in the Constitution

2) To promote national integration

3) To safeguard citizens’ rights to be informed on all matters of public interest by presenting a fair and balanced flow of information

4) To promote social justice, safeguarding the rights of working classes, minorities and tribal communities

With its live relaying of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's speech on Doordarshan, the sacrosanct had already been breached. This could well be the next step in the new culture project initiated by the government .