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Anand Ranganathan

Anand Ranganathan

Affiliation: Swarajya
Vocation/ Title: Scientist Author and Political Analyst
Location: Delhi

Anand Ranganathan is a scientist, author, and political analyst based in New Delhi.

In 2015 he joined the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and became a full Professor in 2019. Anand Ranganathan writes and appears frequently on television debates on Politics, Media, and Science. His columns have appeared in Swarajya, DNA, Firstpost, and Newslaundry. He is also the Consulting Editor of Swarajya, a Hindu nationalist mouthpiece.

Anand considers himself an atheist, a “free-speech absolutist,” and a patriot. During his days with the Newslaundry, he was pretty vocal and expressive on the issues of rights and freedom. Back then, his spines were strong enough that he could criticize Pm Narendra Modi, question the idea of nationalism, debunk the hoax of the Gujarat Model, and write that  Godse (who killed Gandhi) was a psychopathic murderer who, far from being glorified, should be reviled so on and so forth.

Ranganathan has established himself as a powerful voice of Hindu supremacy and nationalism who sets the bar for and places vigil on the ruling political dispensation. Ranganathan, J Sai Deepak, and a few others embody the ‘much needed’ image of well-read, English-speaking, and sophisticated Hindutva ideologues who can counter the supposed “onslaught” on Hinduism and India.

At Ranganathn’s disposal, there is no dearth of the essential Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred which is ubiquitous across the spectrum of Hindu supremacists.

“Isam has enmity against all religions, and whoever is demanding sar tan se juda ( a slogan imploring to kill) are simply following the words of Allah,” said Ranganathan on national television, implying by misquoting Quran, which, according to him, “ordains its followers to kill whoever criticizes Islam.”

Casting doubts on the patriotism of Muslims and somehow linking their allegiance to Pakistan, Ranganathan asked, “Why do Indian Muslims support Pakistani Muslims?

He posed this question to himself in a TV debate and answered the same by quoting BR Ambedkar that the idea of Muslim brotherhood is the real reason. He adds that Muslim brotherhood is an alienating concept and has contempt and hatred for non-Muslims.

Ranganathan writes, “If a ‘bad believer’ follows religious dictats only selectively, then the world is peaceful in large measure because to be a bad believer can also mean to be a good human being.”

He thinks that Muslims and Islam are foundationally problematic. One can never be a good human being while also being a good Muslim. According to Ranganathan, this is an irreconcilable dichotomy.

His recipe of hatred has another essential ingredient: constant fear-mongering among Hindus by showing them the “wicked face” of Muslims and Islam. Ranganathan explains how Muslim appeasement policies of successive governments have led to the supposed Muslim dominance in India. He refers to this age of supposed Muslim dominance as an era of  Khilafat 2.0.

According to Ranganathan, history has been prejudiced towards Hindus and thus needs to be rewritten and reinterpreted. He also believes and propagates ‘the internal enemy‘ narrative by affirming that India’s enemies are disguised within India while referring to Muslims.