HYDERABAD: Citing instances of intolerance by dominant caste, class, and communal elements in the country, Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy said fascism begins with a deep social crisis, and it is seen as a threat to the existing social hierarchy.
She was speaking at the 13th commemorative meeting of human rights activist K Balagopal, titled ‘Hindutva: on-going decimation of Constitutional values and the need to restore our democracy’ here in the city on Sunday. In her talk ‘This fascist movement,’ Roy reflected on the consequences of Covid-19 lockdowns, which forced migrant workers to hit roads, the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war, islamophobia, crony capitalism, and other issues. She expressed anguish over the ever-increasing possibility of a nuclear war.
Asserting that India is more like a continent with thousands of dialects, hundreds of languages, religions, ethnicities, and castes, she said, “We are a country of minorities. There isn’t any majority in this country, and all the violence of Hindutva to create a majority an artificial one doesn’t exist. But, the anxiety of numbers has driven some people to propagate the idea of Hindutva for political interests,” she said.
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